Macculloch Hall Historical Museum

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

Thomas Nast- The Artist

Click on the stars to learn about the image below. Question to consider: How can political cartoon communicate current events?

Thomas Nast Illustrates Current Events

This is one of Thomas Nast’s most powerful Civil War engravings created when he was just 22 years old. In this double-page centerfold Nast illustrates what he believed to be the past and the future of enslaved people in the United States.  Click on each blue star to learn more about the image.

Thomas Nast Illustrates Values: Emancipation

Team USA gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik at the 2024 Paris Olympics, NBC

Student Engagement: Memes

"The Colored Volunteer" and "Light Artillery" and "Girls with Dolls" are companion images in which Nast uses children to illustrate the hopeful impact of the phrase “forever free” of the Emancipation Proclamation.  Click through the slideshow to learn more about the two sets of images. 

Thomas Nast's Intended Audience

Thomas Nast's political cartoons made statements about what he supported and didn't support. Pick a current event topic. What are your thoughts about it? Do you support it? Does it align with your values? Draw a political cartoon for that current event topic either on paper or digitally on this page. 

Student Engagement: Draw Your Own Political Cartoon

Thomas Nast used the figure of Columbia to represent the moral conscience of the United States. During Reconstruction from 1865-1875, Nast transformed this allegorical figure from a figure representing the grief of a wounded nation to one personifying justice and equal treatment. Click through the slide show to see how Nast used the image of Columbia in three different political cartoons.

Thomas Nast Illustrates Values: Columbia

Find a political cartoon either online or in print. Where did you find your political cartoon? Who is in the political cartoon? What is the political cartoon about?

Student Engagement: Find a Political Cartoon

Think about how the arts and any kind of visual medium shape memory and opinion in our democratic society, and how that has been happening for centuries especially as illustrated by Thomas Nast, and how this continues today. 

Wrap-Up Discussion Questions

Thomas Nast (1840-1902) worked at one of the most important illustrated newspapers in the United States during the 19th century. Nast worked for "Harper's Weekly" during the American Civil War (1861-1865). President Abraham Lincoln called Nast his "best recruiting sergeant" for the Union because of the power of his illustrations. Nast built readers' visual literacy through thousands of published images.  Nast's political cartoons addressed current events in the United States during his lifetime including: slavery, political corruption, race, war, and other themes.


This Resource Kit examines a selection of Nast's political cartoons from the Civil War and asks the following questions: 


How does an artist's values impact their work?
Why does the intended audience matter?
How do political cartoons communicate current events?

Macculloch Hall Historical Museum Website

Political Cartoons: Thomas Nast's Editorial Perspective of Current Events in his Time

Civics and Government

Social Studies

U.S. History

Visual Arts

The Arts

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"

Nast-Painting-by-Stan-Freeny-701x1024.jpg

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"

Gallant-Color-Bearer_Courtesy-of-Stan-Freeny-726x1024.jpg

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

The Lightning Speed of Honesty_Thomas Nast_engraving_Harper's Weekly_November  24, 1877_Collection of MHHM.jpg

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.

Resource Kits

Object Library

Museums

Political Cartoons: Thomas Nast's Editorial Perspective of Current Events in his Time

Thomas Nast- The Artist

Background Knowledge

Thomas Nast