John T. McCrutcheon “Mr. La Follette’s Strongest Card”, Chicago Daily Tribune on December 29, 1911

La Follette served as Governor of Wisconsin (1901-1906) and senator (1906-1925), and championed railroad reforms.

(Also, I have seen photos, that is an accurate representation of his wonderful hair.)

A fairly standard anti-catholic cartoon. It is titled: “The Papal Octopus - The Pope-Antichrist”, by HE Fowler, and was published in 1913 in an anti-catholic screed.

The arms are titled: ‘ignorance’ (‘dupe’), ‘superstition’, ‘subversion’, ‘bigotry’ (‘public school’), ‘evil’, ‘tyranny’ (‘infalibility’ [sic]), ‘greed’ (‘public money’), ‘corruption’ (document labelled ‘civil laws’).

The text beneath the cartoon reads:

Romanism is a Monster, with arms of Stanic power and strength, reaching to the very ends of the earth, the arm of superstition crushing the American child, that of subversion crushing the American Flag, that of bigotry crushing the American Public School, that of ignorance crushing the credulous dupe, that of corruption crushing the law of the land, that of greed grasping public moneys, that of tranny destroying freedom of conscience, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, all over the world -per totam orbem tervarum.

Image source: Jeremiah J. Crowley (1913), ‘The Pope: Chief of White Slavers High Priest of Intrigue’ pg. 430

In 1910 the Standard Oil Company published a pamphlet with a design that suggested an octopus: Standard Oil Company, Roycroft Cover (1910)

The following is from Jackson, P., ‘Dard Hunter Stylized Octopus‘ (Accessed: 1st June 2009).

In 1910, John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company was battling efforts by the government to break up the huge organization, which contended that it was in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Although the trust itself had been previously dissolved, the many different affiliates of the company still retained a monopoly in the oil industry. No doubt sensing the opportunity for some business, Elbert Hubbard wrote a piece in “The Fra” that praised the work of Standard Oil and defended it from the many words of criticism that it had been receiving. Of course, a business Little Journey soon followed, with Standard Oil commissioning a reprint of the article. Dard Hunter designed a special cover for the pamphlet, with artwork that bore a strange resemblance to an octopus. Symbolic of the company’s monopolistic stranglehold on the nation’s economy, this animal was used to depict Standard Oil in many a critical article and cartoon. Whether done as a joke, or as a statement of the artist’s true feelings about the company, the illustration was supposedly caught by Hubbard before the booklet went to press. He allowed it to be printed though, saying that the Standard Oil people would never notice. Evidently they didn’t notice, but it made no difference, as the Supreme Court ruled against the company the following year. Printed by the Roycrofters in East Aurora, New York in 1910.

The “Pick Up the Club” cartoon by Russell Henderson was published in the American Issue – a Anti-Saloon League paper ¹ -  on January 4, 1919. The caption refers to the club with “American Anti-Saloon Methods” inscribed on it, and was aimed at “The [rest of the] World”. The World has “The Liquor Octopus”, and its tentacles of ‘crime’, ‘poverty’, ‘debauchery’, ‘waste’ and ‘disease’. I am not sure what the World is supposed to do with the club in order to dislodge the octopus: hit itself in the head with it? No wonder he looks bewildered.

Image Source:http://www.wpl.lib.oh.us/AntiSaloon/pmaterial/cartoons/ (Accessed: 15 Mar 2009)

Footnotes:

1. “American Issue Publishing House”, Wikipedia,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Issue_Publishing_House(Accessed: 19th Mar 2009)

Les Monopoles (Carrère, P. ~1919, Published by: Chachoin for Union des interets economiques)

The return of the red pieuvre: l’Etat monopole (state monopolies) or Etatiste (statist). I have included “l’Etat Monopole” beneath “Les Monopoles” to compare the two. Both with the red octopus, most of the figures are represented in both, they are, essential the same image.

“LES MONOPOLES donnent de mauvais résultats Opposez-vous à la création de nouveaux Monopoles Défendez LA LIBERTÉ du Commerce de l’Industrie de l’Agriculture et du Travail.” (Monopolies produce bad results. Oppose the creation of new monopolies. Defend freedom of trade, industry, agriculture and labour.)

The octopus is labelled Pieuvre Etatiste (State-control octopus), and the figures are: Mines, Assurances (insurance), Boissons (drinks), Sucres (sugars), Pétroles (oils), and Mutualité Agricole (farmers’ mutual). As well, there is tobacco (the pipe), matches, saltpetre (used in gun powder) and the P.T.T (post).

Source & Translation: VADs, http://tinyurl.com/ad8jqo, (Accessed 2nd Feb 2009)