The National Joker by Thompson Todd Nathan;

Author:Thompson, Todd Nathan; [Неизв.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press

Such representations continued even after Lincoln took office. In the 1860 Currier and Ives poster cartoon “‘Uncle Sam’ Making New Arrangements” (fig. 3.3), the character of Uncle Sam (center, in knee breeches) stands before the White House, removing a notice that says, “Wanted. An honest upright and capable man to take charge of this house for four years. Undoubted testimonials will be required. Apply to Uncle Sam, on the Premises.” He hands Lincoln notice reading, “I have hired [him] for four years from March 1st 1861.” In this cartoon, Lincoln is pictured without a coat or vest, in suspenders and rolled-up shirtsleeves, and with his trademark ax. Such iconography is especially telling given the location—at the door of the White House—and the formality of dress of his unsuccessful opponents, John Bell, Breckinridge, and Douglas, who are waiting in line to make their respective cases to Uncle Sam. Lincoln’s rusticity here differentiates him from the other candidates, all of whom look and speak in similar ways.26

Such depictions continued throughout Lincoln’s tenure in office. Harper’s Weekly was lukewarm toward Lincoln during the 1860 election because of the journal’s extensive readership in the South as well as its moderation on slavery and other controversial issues, earning it the nickname “Harper’s Weakly,” but was generally supportive after the onset of the Civil War. Harper’s “Lincoln’s Last Warning,” an October 11, 1862, Frank Bellew cartoon (fig. 3.4), again shows Lincoln in shirtsleeves wielding an ax. The tree is labeled “SLAVERY”; Lincoln tells a man, probably Jefferson Davis, “Now, if you don’t come down, I’ll cut the Tree from under you.” This cartoon renders Lincoln’s composition of the Emancipation Proclamation as the physical labor of chopping down a tree. Lincoln’s physical prowess means that his “warning” is not an empty threat: he has the strength to complete the task.27

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