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 Campaign Analogies: Sports and Entertainment

 


 "Marvelous Equestrian Performance on Two Animals"
  Cartoonist:  Frank Bellew
  Source:  Harper's Weekly
  Date:   October 8, 1864, p. 656

Click to see a large version of this cartoon...

Click to see a large version of this cartoon

Caption: By the celebrated Artist, Professor George B. Mac, assisted by the noted Bare-back Rider, Geroge H. Pendleton, on his Wonderful Disunion Steed, PEACEATANYPRICE.

N.B. The beautiful creature, PEACEATANYPRICE, recently inported from Europe, was aired by John Bull, and dam'd by America.


Complete HarpWeek Explanation:
The Democratic National Convention endorsed a peace plank in their platform, but it was repudiated by their presidential nominee George McClellan, who promised to administer the Union war effort more effectively than Lincoln. Thus the Democratic party presented a divided image to the Union electorate of a pro-war presidential candidate supported by an anti-war party. It became a common motif in the 1864 cartoons to picture McClellan straddling two horses (or in this case, a horse and the Democratic Donkey), one labeled "War" and one labeled "Peace." (The straddling-two-horses analogy had been used previously against Republican John C. Frémont in 1856.) In this cartoon, a bonnet-wearing McClellan clinches an oversized peace pipe in his mouth while he thrusts a sword forward, as his steed, War, charges ahead. Pictured with him is the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, U.S. Representative George Pendleton, a Peace Democrat, riding the Democratic Peace Donkey (with a devilishly pointed tail) and holding a caged dove of peace. The arena and cheering crowd indicate that the cartoon is a parody of an acrobatic circus act.
 

 

 

 
 

 

     
 

 

 
     
 

 

 
     
 

 

 

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