1. Thomas
Nast and
Editorial
Cartoons:
A brief
history

2. "He has been called, perhaps not
with accuracy, but with substantial
justice, the Father of American
Caricature.“
Harpers Weekly

3. Born in Landau,
Germany, on
September 26 To
Joseph Thomas
who worked as a
trombonist in a
military band.
Thomas Nast

4. In 1846 Thomas, his mother, and his
sister immigrated to New York.
His father
joined the
family in 1849
after finishing
his enlistment

5. In 1854 he began Studying art with
Theodore Kaufmann, a German painter
who specialized in historical scenes.
In 1855 he began working at the Thomas
Jefferson Bryant Gallery of “Christian
art” where he also copied the historical
paintings in the collection as a part of
his artistic training.

6. By the age of fifteen
Thomas was hired as a
reportorial artist
for Frank Leslie's
Illustrated Newspaper.
And by 1856 he had
moved to the New York
Illustrated News.
In 1860, Thomas began
freelance work for the
Harper Weekly and by
1862, his work had
earned him a full
position there.

7. Thomas Nast became well known for
his exceptional use of melodrama,
allegory, parody and symbolism. He
was a loyal supporter of the
republican party, and used his
cartoons and art to drive his points
home.

8. Look Familiar?
Thomas Nast created the symbols that have been
adopted by the republican and democratic parties.

9. I In 1870
Nast
adopted
the donkey
as a symbol
for the
Democratic
Party.

10. By 1874 Nast
had adopted
the elephant
as a symbol
for the
Republican
party.

11. Thomas Nast’s
influence has
traveled further
than the political
arena, in 1862 he
drew Santa Clause
to memorialize the
sacrifices by Union
during the earliest
and darkest days of
the Civil War. Nast
modeled his Santa
Clause after the
German St.
Nicholas.

12. One of Nast’s most famous pieces,
"Compromise with the South," was
published in Harper's Weekly on
September 3, 1864 and depicted
Columbia weeping at the grave of
"Union Heroes in a Useless War“ The
image brought Nast instant fame, as it
was reproduced and used in the fight to
get Lincoln Re-elected.

13. After his career as an Editorial
Cartoonist wound down, Nast went
back to his original dream and once
again took up historical painting.
In 1902 Nast accepted an appointment by
to become the Commissioned General
for the commercial Ecuadorian port of
Guayaquil. On December 7th he died of
Yellow Fever.

14. As one of the most
important journalistic
figures in history, Thomas
Nast helped to influence
the laws and policies we
see today.