The caption reads: The Central Bank--Why should Uncle Sam establish one, when Uncle Pierpoint is already on the job?

John Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913) began his career in 1857 as an accountant, and by 1885 was reorganizing the railroads becoming a board member and gaining control of large amounts of stock of many of the rail companies he helped restructure. In 1896, Morgan embarked on consolidations in the electric, steel and agricultural equipment manufacturing industries. He capitalized the creation of U.S. Steel for $1 billion becoming the first billion dollar corporation when the whole of the manufacturing industry in America was worth only $9 billion. By the early 1900s, Morgan was the main force behind the Trusts, controlling virtually all the basic American industries. He then looked to the financial and insurance industries, in which his banking firm also achieved a concentration of control. Morgan is quoted as saying "When you expect things to happen - strangely enough - they do happen."

Frank A. Nankivell the illustrator of this picture, traveled to Yokohama, Japan as a 22 year old from his home in Australia. Nankivell was intent on becoming an artist and his time in Japan was intended to be spent in the trading market in order to earn money for art school. However, he spent two years working as a commercial artist and teaching other Japanese artists Western style caricature techniques. The experience also remained significant for him during his successful career as and cartoonist, painter and printmaker in the USA.

Puck Magazine was one of the first political satire and humor magazines in America. It started as a German language, bi-weekly in St. Louis in 1871. Puck faired badly and quickly folded but the pair moved the operation to New York City in 1876, with an English-language version first appearing in 1877. It was published in both German and English with the English version fairing poorly until it started to take on such controversial local topics as Tammany Hall corruption, and national issues like Ulysses S. Grant's attempt to win a third term as President. Their political cartoons were notoriously biting, garnering much attention for Puck, and they were one of the first magazines to use color lithography for caricature.

Medium : 1 print : lithograph, color

Created/Published : 1910

Creator : Frank A. Nankivell, artist, 1869-1959

Housed in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress

Availability: Usually ships in one week

Product #: cph3g06303