In this 1883 Puck cartoon, Bernhard Gillam exposes the rot inside America’s political patronage system. A line of would-be Congressmen sits on a bench labeled “Congressional Seats,” waiting to be chosen like customers at a marketplace. Enter James Gordon Bennett of the New York Herald, offering to help “old gentlemen” find their way into office—if the political winds shift in their favor. Gillam paints the whole scene as a cynical transaction: patched clothing, improvised credentials, and men who look more desperate than qualified.
The joke lands because the corruption was real. Political machines traded influence for loyalty, and newspapers wielded outsized power in determining who might get a seat.
More than a century later, the details have changed—but the critique of access, privilege, and backroom politics feels strikingly contemporary.
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In this 1883 Puck cartoon, Bernhard Gillam exposes the rot inside America’s political patronage system. A line of would-be Congressmen sits on a bench labeled “Congressional Seats,” waiting to be chosen like customers at a marketplace. Enter James Gordon Bennett of the New York Herald, offering to help “old gentlemen” find their way into office—if the political winds shift in their favor. Gillam paints the whole scene as a cynical transaction: patched clothing, improvised credentials, and men who look more desperate than qualified.
The joke lands because the corruption was real. Political machines traded influence for loyalty, and newspapers wielded outsized power in determining who might get a seat.
More than a century later, the details have changed—but the critique of access, privilege, and backroom politics feels strikingly contemporary.
Add two mugs to your cart to receive an automatic bundle discount.
