Buy used: $10.53
FREE delivery April 26 - May 2. Details
Or fastest delivery Tuesday, April 23. Order within 23 hrs 59 mins. Details
Used: Very Good | Details
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comment: May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Them Damned Pictures: Explorations in American Political Cartoon Art Hardcover – January 1, 1995

4.0 out of 5 stars 2

Fischer (history U. of Minnesota-Duluth) surveys the art and power of political cartoons in the US through the 19th and 20th centuries. He demonstrates the freedom with which cartoonists portrayed politicians they did not like and created insulting stereotypes of such groups as native Americans, Blacks, Irish, and Jews. He also describes how cartoonists became political figures in their own right and were subject to the same temptations of corruption as others. Chapters also focus on the Statue of Liberty, the Lincoln memorial, literary allusions, and Richard Nixon. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Amazon First Reads | Editors' picks at exclusive prices

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

Fischer (History and American Studies/Univ. of Minn., Duluth) offers nine essays on various aspects of the history of American political cartooning. Pulitzer Prizewinning cartoonist Jeff MacNelly once noted that if they couldn't draw, most political cartoonists would probably have become hired assassins. It's a quote so witty and on the money that Fischer repeats it three times. As he observes, political cartoonists tend to be sharp-tongued as well as sharp- witted iconoclasts, and although their power has diminished in this century, they still attract unwanted attention to greasy politicians; after all, Paul Conrad made Nixon's ``enemies list.'' Of course, in the previous century, before TV, radio, and the wire services, the potency of the cartoon image was greater. In the first and most interesting essay in this volume, Fischer revisits the war between Thomas Nast and his nemesis, William ``Boss'' Tweed, but what the author finds is a far cry from the legend. Tweed, he argues, wasn't the great crook of popular belief, nor did he meet his demise at the hands of the cartoonist. However, he readily allows, ``it was Nast who elevated graphic assassination to an art.'' Fischer traces the elevation of Populist William Peffer, a rare third-party success who served in the US Senate, into a demonic figure by cartoonists who distorted his record mercilessly; the use of ``filler'' cartoons in 19th-century magazines that indulged in scurrilous racial and ethnic stereotyping; and the treatment of the Statue of Liberty and Lincoln as iconic figures. The result is an uneven collection, always informative, intermittently entertaining, but too often a seemingly endless catalog of ideas and representations. The best thing about this book is (as Boss Tweed called them) the ``damned pictures'' themselves. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Roger A. Fischer is Professor of History at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where for many years he was also chair of the history department and director of the American studies program.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Archon Books; First Edition (January 1, 1995)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 253 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0208022988
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0208022981
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars 2

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Roger A. Fischer
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
2 global ratings

Top review from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2013
I love political cartoons, especially ones from the 1800s. I enjoyed the ones here very much, although I wished the some were full page (like others) so you can read the little stuff in a Nast cartoon. There's a little too much chatter (for me) about the times of the country when the cartoon was done, as opposed to just a caption explaining it. And a few more cartoons. It's just my preferences, however, and this is really good book, very broad ranged and well presented. The book came at the correct time and in VG condition, so opinion of the seller is very positive. (I'm not sure if this review is JUST for the book or both)
3 people found this helpful
Report