Thomas Nast

Artist's Biography

Blindman's Bluff. How Long Will This Game Last?

Wood engraving, 1873.
Image size 10 5/8 x 9 1/8" (27 x 23.1 cm).
Good condition, save for discoloration in the outer upper margin. LOCATION: New York City

Inventory Number: 91645
Price: $75.00
Publisher : Published by Harper's Weekly. April 12, 1873. William Marcy Tweed, better known as Boss Tweed, was overthrown in 1871. The corrupt democrat had led Tammany Hall through years of embezzlement and bullying. Anyone who opposed him was threatened or killed. He and his cohorts were finally put on trial on January 7, 1873, but a poor choice of witnesses lead to a mistrial. Tweed boasted no jury could ever convict him and went off to enjoy a vacation. He wouldn't return to the court room until November that year, when a verdict was reached and he was finally imprisoned.

In this cartoon Columbia, the female personification of America, searches blindly for criminals. They duck around her and take advantage of her blindfold. Tweed himself is pressed against the wall, his face twisted with amusement. He was safe as long as she was in this state. On the ground one of his crony's hold a paper reading "Tricks of the Law," a statement that told viewers that these corrupt politicians knew how to twist the law in their favor. 18th-19th Century Subjects , Caricatures and Satirical

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