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Name _____________________________ Class _________________ Date __________________
Life at the Turn of the 20th Century
Biography
Thomas Nast
1840–1902
WHY HE MADE HISTORY Thomas
© CORBIS
Nast has been called the father of modern
American political cartooning. He is best
known for his cartoons exposing the
corruption of Boss Tweed’s political
machine.
As you read the biography below, think about
how Thomas Nast influenced public opinion.
How did he use images to communicate?
By the late 1800s the governments of most major cities were run by
political machines. These informal groups of professional politicians
controlled local government. Often these politicians were corrupt and
abused the public trust. Thomas Nast, a political cartoonist, exposed the
corruption of one of the biggest political machines of his day. His drawings
led to the downfall of Boss Tweed’s Tammany Hall political machine.
Thomas Nast was born in Germany in 1840, the son of a musician. His
family immigrated to the U.S. and settled in New York City when he was
six years old. Nast studied art at the National Academy of Design. At the
age of 15, he was hired as a staff artist for Frank Leslie’s Illustrated
Newspaper. By the time he was 18, Nast was a freelance artist for Harper’s
Weekly and the New York Illustrated News.
In 1862 Harper’s Weekly hired Nast to draw images of the Civil War.
His editors hoped he would draw realistic battle scenes. Instead, Nast drew
images that supported the Union and opposed slavery. Nast distorted and
exaggerated the physical traits of his subjects to convey strong social and
political messages. Abraham Lincoln praised Nast’s ability to inspire
support for the Union. General Ulysses S. Grant said that Nast “did as
much as any man to preserve the Union and bring the war to an end.”
Nast’s political drawings continued to influence public opinion
throughout the 1800s. He is perhaps best known for his cartoons of
William “Boss” Tweed and his New York City political machine. Using
political pressure, bribes, kickbacks, and fraud, Tweed controlled New
York City’s government and made himself rich. Nast’s cartoons attacked
Tweed’s corruption week after week. As public opinion turned, Tweed
tried to stop the cartoons, even offering to pay to send Nast on a European
tour. In the end, Nast’s cartoons helped lead to Tweed’s downfall in 1874.
The Boss was convicted on more than 200 charges and sentenced to prison.
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
9
Life at the Turn of the 20th Century
Name _____________________________ Class _________________ Date __________________
Life at the Turn of the 20th Century
Biography
When Tweed later escaped to Spain, officials there used Nast’s drawings to
capture Tweed.
Nast drew some of our most familiar and popular images. In 1862 he
created the jolly, round-bellied Santa Claus we know today. In the 1870s
he created the symbols used today for America’s major political parties—a
donkey for Democrats and an elephant for Republicans.
Nast changed the nature of political cartooning. Before the Civil War,
cartoonists used words to convey meaning in their cartoons. Nast used
images to convey his messages. While he did sometimes use short captions
and symbols, his images told the story.
Nast lost nearly all of his savings in the 1884 failure of a brokerage
house. Two years later he left Harper’s Weekly. Attempts to establish his
own weekly journal failed, and Nast turned to oil painting. In 1902
President Theodore Roosevelt named Nast U.S. consul general to Ecuador.
Not long after he got there, Thomas Nast caught yellow fever and died.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
1. Explain How did Nast’s cartoons differ from the cartoons of pre-Civil War artists?
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2. Draw a Conclusion What was Nast’s most important contribution to American
society? Explain your answer.
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ACTIVITY
From a collection of Nast’s cartoons, select one to study in more detail.
What was Nast trying to communicate through the images he used? Write a
paragraph that describes the meaning of the cartoon. Be sure to identify
and explains any symbols used. Present your cartoon to the class and
discuss its meaning.
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
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Life at the Turn of the 20th Century