Macculloch Hall Historical Museum

Click through the slide show to read more about Thomas Nast's life and accomplishments. 

Thomas Nast and the Grand Caricaturama

Think about how the arts and any kind of visual medium shape memory and opinion in our  democratic society, and how that has clearly been happening for years, especially through Nast,  and how it continues today.

Wrap-Up Discussion

This game requires students to have read through the American Civil War and Reconstruction Timeline (Activity #2). Then, read the game directions below. Using the images from the timeline in the previous activity, the moderator selects three images in the Venn Diagram. Venn diagrams are illustrations that use overlapping circles to show the similarities and differences between things. The intersection of the circles is what the things have in common, while the things on each side of the circles that do not overlap are unique. For example, the images could contain the same/different people, themes, topics, year, etc.

Timeline Apples to Oranges

Thomas Nast used many different tools and techniques to communicate his perspective on current events in his paintings and drawings. In the graphic organizer below, there are 5 tools: symbolism, labeling, irony, analogy, and caricature. The definitions are filled in for all but two. Write your own definition for irony and caricature. Your definition for caricature can come from Thomas Nast's own words about caricature in the bottom left.  Then, looking at the Palace of Tears painting, write down or draw examples of each tool or technique. 

Thomas Nast Tools and Techniques

"The Last Ditch" depicts Union commander General Ulysses S. Grant and General Philip Sheridan on horseback in pursuit of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Question to consider while reading about the painting: What makes political cartoons primary sources?

The Last Ditch

View Thomas Nast's black and white sketches of selected Grand Caricaturama images in a timeline of events starting in 1854-1869. The paintings represent Nast's point of view of historical events in US History. 

Question to consider: How do the arts and visual expression shape public memory in a democracy? What events does Nast include in the Grand Caricaturama? Which does he leave out? 

American Civil War and Reconstruction Timeline

In "The Palace of Tears" Nast conveys his dismay with the failed promises of Reconstruction by attacking President Andrew Johnson’s pro-South policy at the Union Convention of 1866. Nast illustrates that the convention far from a union, was rather a sellout to Southern demands during Reconstruction. Question to consider: How do political cartoons inform current events?

The Palace of Tears

Read about Thomas Nast's painting, "The Last Ditch", in Activity #4 and answer the questions below. 

The Last Ditch Discussion

Read the reviews about Thomas Nast's Grand Caricaturama from different newspapers.  Highlight phrases or words that praise the Grand Caricaturama. Circle phrases or words that are critical of the Grand Caricaturama. 

Grand Caricaturama Newspaper Reviews

Thomas Nast worked at the three most important illustrated newspapers in New York City. Nast worked for "Harper's Weekly" during the Civil War and received recognition from President Abraham Lincoln as his "best recruiting sergeant" for the Union. Through thousands of images drawn by Thomas Nast, he built readers' visual literacy. After just four years working full time at "Harper's Weekly", Thomas Nast took a break during the summer of 1867-1897 to work on his idea for  "The Grand Caricaturama", 33 large paintings presented with music and narration telling the history of the United States from Nast's perspective in live theater. Today only 8 of those paintings are known to exist.

Macculloch Hall Historical Museum Website

Drawing History: History Told Through Thomas Nast Political Cartoons

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Learn more about MHHM's Thomas Nast Collection

Thomas Nast immigrated to America from Landau, Germany when he was five years old. With limited education and little artistic training, he joined the art staff of Frank Leslie's Illustrated as a teenager. In 1860 Nast traveled to Italy as a war correspondent for 

The Illustrated London News and New York Illustrated News

. Embedding himself with Giuseppe Garibaldi's campaign to liberate and unify Sicily and the southern Italian states, Nast depicted what he saw in pencil, crayon, ink, and paint in a sketchbook now in MHHM's collection.

Self caricature of Nast at easel with brushes and palette.
Signed "compliments of the season, Th: Nast"
"Self-portrait for Christmas card"

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Compliments of the Season

Upon his return to the United States in February 1861, Nast began to cover the American Civil War that April for 

 as its war correspondent. Just 22 years old at the time, Nast created illustrations based on reports of what was happening on the battlefield. He worked for the weekly until 1877, and again from 1895-1896.

"A Gallant Color-Bearer" is one of Thomas Nast’s first images for 

 during the Civil War. Many of the artist’s drawings during the war were patriotic images intended to stir emotions to support the Union cause. The below is an article from the same issue of Harper’s Weekly about the inspiration for Nast’s cover image.

“H. Alexander, color-bearer of the 10th New York Regiment deserves to be placed high upon the roll of our heroes. He received 3 terrible wounds in a recent engagement but clung to his colors with tenacious grasp. While being taken into hospital he became inservicable, and an attempt was made to take the flag away, but his unconcious hand held it more powerfully; even then his ruling passion was strong. Such men in life and death are glorious examples. Our picture is a just homage to distinguished gallantry.”

Harper's Weekly September 20, 1862- cover page
"A Gallant Color-Bearer"

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A Gallant Color-Bearer

During his tenure, Nast created hundreds of cartoons including the Democratic Donkey, Republican Elephant, Uncle Sam, Columbia, Tammany Tiger, and Santa Claus. Nast also created cartoons commenting on issues of the day using derogatory ethnic and racial stereotypes. Nast illustrated stereotypes of Black Americans, as well as Irish and Chinese immigrants. The artist also published Anti-Catholic cartoons attacking the Church hierarchy. At times, Nast drew derogatory caricatures in support of a person or group. In other instances, Nast used stereotypes to make a visual case against a person or group.

Harper's weekly engraving. Uncle Sam rides a very large snail labeled 45 Congress. Published in Harper's Weekly November 24, 1877

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The Lightning Speed of Honesty

In 1871 Nast moved his family out of New York City to Morristown, NJ, believing it to be a safe distance from his political enemy, William "Boss" Tweed of New York. Although Nast's work for Harper's Weekly took him to New York regularly for overnight stays, Nast was an active resident of Morristown. He was an honorary member of the fire department and supported the efforts of the local lyceum and other charities. Many of Nast's drawings depict his family home since 1872, Villa Fontana, located just across the street from Macculloch Hall.

Photo of side entrance of Nast house in Morristown.

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Thomas Nast's Morristown Home

Thomas Nast created a series of 33 monumental murals titled The Grand Caricaturama, which was an illustrated history of the United States as told by Nast, in part, in response to the end of the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Nast created The Grand Caricaturama as political theatre. From 1867-1868, he showed monumental paintings, each measuring approximately 7 x 11 feet, on stage in New York City and Boston accompanied by commentary and live music.

Macculloch Hall Historical Museum is home to two of these monumental paintings, now on permanent display in our Schoolroom Gallery.

The murals in MHHM’s collection are two of eight from the series known to have survived. One surviving mural, “Swinging ‘Round the Circle’,” is on public display two blocks from MHHM at the Morristown & Morris Township Public Library. The remaining 5 murals have been in storage at the Library of Congress since their last public display at The Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, in 1973.

"Catalogue of Thomas Nast's Grand Caricaturama. A Series of Thirty-Three Grand Historical Caricature Paintings (9x12) with a Descriptive Lecture at Dodworth Hall, 806 Broadway" One sheet of paper folded in half to create a 4 page catalog. The inside 2 pages list the 33 paintings that Nast created for the Grand Caricaturama. There is a self portrait of Nast on the cover. The back cover has a stamp of Andrew Johnson next to a red stamp and the words printed in black read "To whom it may concern"

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Drawing History: History Told Through Thomas Nast Political Cartoons

Thomas Nast and the Grand Caricaturama

Thomas Nast