"Let the gold dust twins do your work" / J.S. Pughe with acknowledgements.

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"Let the gold dust twins do your work" / J.S. Pughe with acknowledgements.

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Summary

Illustration shows Nelson Aldrich and John D. Rockefeller as dark-skinned men wearing skirts labeled "Gold Dust"; Aldrich is standing on top of a replica of a building labeled "Stock Exchange" and holding up a replica of the U.S. Capitol building, Rockefeller is standing on the ground next to him, holding up an oil can labeled "Standard Oil" and a wallet stuffed with money. Uncle Sam is standing to the left, in the foreground, stroking his beard, with a concerned look on his face.

Caption: (You might as well, Uncle. They'll do it, anyway.)
Illus. in: Puck, v. 58, no. 1496 (1905 November 1), cover.
Copyright 1905 by Keppler & Schwarzmann.

It wasn't really until the 1700s that caricature truly blossomed as a form of political criticism. In the late 1750s, a man named Thomas Townshend began using the techniques employed by earlier engravers and applying them towards a political model. This gave Thompson's cartoons a much greater feeling of propaganda than previous artistic critiques of the time. The intense political climate of the period, and often accusatory nature of most political cartoons forced many artists to use pseudonyms in order to avoid accusations of libel. Other artists took it a step farther, and left their cartoons completely unsigned, foregoing any credit they may have received. Political higher-ups were notoriously touchy about their reputations and were not afraid to make examples of offenders. Puck was the first successful humor magazine in the United States of colorful cartoons, caricatures and political satire of the issues of the day. It was published from 1871 until 1918.

A stock exchange or bourse is a place where brokers and traders can buy and sell stocks, bonds, and other securities, It's history begins with Dutch East India Company, and icludes Amsterdam, Paris, London, New York, Hong Kong.

In 1862, John D. Rockefeller, a resident of Cleveland Ohio, joined with two partners to establish an oil-refining company. The men purchased oil wells in Titusville, Pennsylvania, and constructed a well near Cleveland. In 1865, Rockefeller bought out one of the partners' interest in the company, creating Rockefeller & Andrews Oil Company. In this year alone, the business earned approximately 200,000 dollars. While Rockefeller reaped extensive wealth in 1865, the oil industry was just beginning to grow. Most people only used oil for lighting. The market was limited. Prices fluctuated dramatically, as oil production waxed and waned during this period. To try and stabilize oil prices Rockefeller and Samuel Andrews, his partner, approached O.H. Payne, owner of the largest oil refinery in Cleveland. They proposed that the three men unite their companies together. By having a single oil company operating in northeastern Ohio, this company could hopefully fix prices and avoid the tremendous swings as production sometimes increased or dwindled. The company organizers convinced numerous other Cleveland firms to join with them. In other cases, they bought out the companies or drove them out of business by selling their oil for a much cheaper price than their competitors could. In 1870, Rockefeller united these companies together as the Standard Oil Company.

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Date

01/01/1905
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Contributors

Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909, artist
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Source

Library of Congress
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