On October 28, 1891, the Weekly Missoulian caricaturized Hammond as the “Missoula Octopus, that is undertaking to reach its slimy arms over the county and strangle the life out of it.” The following year, Hammond purchased the newspaper.
For more information: http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/ohq/10a9.4/gordon.html
Once again, the “octo” part of octopus is optional.
Arms labelled: South Missoula Land Co, Delinquent Taxes, The Missoulian, Camas Farmers, Race Track, Timber Den?, Missoula Water Works!, Town of C?dale, Ramsdell Bros, Mortgage Records, Florence Hotel, Bitter Root Farmers, Missoula Hotel, Steel R?, Higgins Estate, First National Bank, McCormack Estate, Town of Bonner, Front Street, Town of Cor wallis, Town of Victor, Fort Missoula, Canon Ditch, Missoula Real Estate Assn, Church
via www.historycooperative.org
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.)
The cephalopod - terrestrial devil fish - a monster of centralization (?) (1873)
This is the earliest cartoon (1873) in my collection of the octopus as a metaphor for an industry. The presence of the cave, and the timing1 would suggest an Victor Hugo influence. It also precedes the ‘burst’ of octopus cartoons in the1880s and is slightly earlier the “Serio-Comic War Map” of Europe (1877).
I think the caption reads: “The cephalopod, -or terrestrial devil fish-, a monster of centralization”. It was published on the 4th March 1873 by the New York Daily Graphic.
Between its humanoid teeth the octopus holds a piece of paper: “Congressional Honor”. The human mouth appears below a normal octopus orifice. Most of its limbs are trains, except for the lowest one which is very serpentine. The motive (Victor Hugo) of the cave makes an appearance. As does USA (Lady Liberty?). An unusually creepy image.
Other little details is the train (at least I think it is a train) is approaching in the background, following the power lines. Also, the birds are flying an orderly and serpentine line.
Image source: “Railroad Cartoons: The Image and the Locomotive”,http://sophia.smith.edu/~maldrich/introduction.html (Accessed: 21st May 2009) – Some interesting late 19th C & early 20th C railroad cartoons.
Footnotes
- Six years after publication of “Toilers of the Sea” in English in New York
Corporate Greed (1882)
Cartoon published 27th June 1882 shows a large bulbous octopus sitting on top of a pile of crates and bales. The caption apparently reads: “Corporate greed octopus gobbles up freight for Great Railroad while unemployed handlers look on”1. Octopus head reads: “Corporate Greed. All for ourselves, nothing for the public”. The tentacles have the names of railway companies on them.
Unfortunately image quality is too low to make out the artists signature or the name on the building behind the octopus.
Footnotes
- Corbis http://tinyurl.com/cl8voh (Accessed 4th April 2009)
