Opper Political Cartoon Scrapbook, New York Journal 1900–01 (McKinley & Roosevelt)

Item #1504

8 3/8” x 10 1/4” x 1 1/2”, portrait orientation.

A substantial vernacular scrapbook containing 119 political cartoons by Frederick Burr Opper from William Randolph Hearst’s New York Journal (shortly before it was re-titled the New York American). The cartoons, all from the celebrated “Willie and His Papa” series, date from between June 1900, when Theodore Roosevelt secured the Republican Vice-Presidential nomination, and September 1901, when President William McKinley was assassinated.

The cartoons lampoon McKinley, Roosevelt, and Senator Mark Hanna, alongside the monopolistic “Daddy Trusts,” a rotund figure representing Gilded Age plutocrats such as J.P. Morgan and Andrew Carnegie. Roosevelt appears as the unruly child, McKinley as the hapless companion, and Hanna as “Nursie,” while the looming figure of “Daddy” embodies the corruption and dominance of the trusts. Opper’s biting caricatures capture both the tension of the 1900 election campaign and Hearst’s populist crusade against concentrated wealth—ironically mounted by a media magnate in the making.

Opper (1857–1937), already one of the nation’s leading cartoonists, would gain lasting fame as the creator of Happy Hooligan, which debuted in 1900. His hand is evident here in the sharp satire and in conventions familiar to modern comics—crosshatching, word balloons, speed lines. Of particular note is one double-page spread that hints at his facility with sequential art.

Condition. Album worn, leather spine missing, frayed twine visible, but binding remains tight. Pages show only light toning; most cartoons are crisp with only minor tears. One page has an inch-long loss, not affecting artwork. Three pages unused. The title page, inscribed Opper Cartoons… “Willie and His Papa” (New York Journal)… Bryan and McKinley Campaign 1900, has been childishly defaced with green marker and scissors, a distraction but not a loss of content. Overall, a remarkably intact and well-preserved collection.

Significance. This scrapbook preserves one of the richest surviving runs of Opper’s early-20th-century political satire, offering a vivid contemporary view of the 1900 campaign, the clash between populism and plutocracy, and the shaping of Roosevelt’s public image. A valuable primary source for historians of American politics, media, and cartooning.

Price: $500.00