Posted on 10/26/2004 5:54:19 AM PDT by ijcr
During the 1864 presidential election, an image of an elephant was published in the pro-Lincoln campaign newspaper, Father Abraham. The same boot-wearing, banner-carrying pachyderm used in the 1860 Willet advertisements is shown in the September 27, 1864 issue of Father Abraham celebrating Union military victories, instead of selling shoes.
Since “seeing the elephant” was slang among Civil War soldiers for engaging in combat, the symbol was a natural choice for honoring successful military campaigns.
In the featured illustration from the October 18, 1864 issue of Father Abraham, the same emblem (minus the boots) bears a banner proclaiming, “The Elephant is Coming.” The animal is surrounded by text celebrating Republican victories in state elections, which were seen as precursors of the presidential contest a few weeks later in early November. This first appearance of the Republican Elephant had transitioned smoothly and swiftly from the language and imagery of war to that of American politics.
I've seen the elephant.
A dumb question: I know that to post a picture you type img src=the address of the picture, but how do you get the address of the picture?
Right click on the picture and click on properties.
lol
Great find. I always thought Thomas Nast paired up the elephant with the GOP.
Find the picture online and right click on it. Highlight the address and click ctrl-C(copy). Then click ctrl-V (paste) to put in your reply.
Click properties in the drop down box.
Copy the image URL.
So how do you explain the use of the 'jackass' by Democrats?
Personality trait?
The donkey first appeared as a symbol for the Democratic Party in the 1830s when the Democrat Andrew Jackson was President.
The donkey continued in American political commentary as a symbol for the Democratic Party thereafter. Thomas Nast built upon this legacy and used his extraordinary skill to amplify it.
For a time, the rooster also served as the symbol of the Democratic Party, but gradually the donkey replaced it in popular usage after the 1880s.
Nast first used the donkey as a symbol for the Democratic Party in "A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion" published January 15, 1870, in Harper's Weekly to comment on Northern Democrats (nicknamed Copperheads) dealings with Edwin M. Stanton, Lincoln's Secretary of War.
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