Thomas Nast is a legendary illustrator who left a deep mark on American popular culture with his drawings. The fact that the symbol of the Republican Party is the 'elephant' is also the result of Thomas Nast's caricatures. Today's chubby and white-bearded Santa Claus image is also because Nast drew Santa Claus like this.
Nast's cartoons are the reason why the story of the most famous corrupt politician in American history is also visual. While NYT was writing about corruption news, Nast was visualizing the allegations with his cartoons.
Thomas Nast (September 27, 1840 – December 7, 1902) was a German-born American cartoonist and editorial cartoonist. He is called the father of American cartooning. His notable works include a modern interpretation of Santa Claus and the Republican Party's political elephant symbol. Contrary to popular belief, he does not own the drawings depicting Uncle Sam and the Democratic Party as donkeys.
Thomas Nast (September 26, 1840 – December 7, 1902) was a German-born American caricaturist and editorial cartoonist often considered to be the "Father of the American Cartoon".
While almost all art is used to raise awareness, satire, and make social and political criticism; Cartoon art is relatively the most effective among them. Thomas Nast, born in 1840, is one of the best artists in this field. His cat is even called the father of the American cartoon.
Because his pen was so powerful he satirized the main political issues of the American Civil War period, namely slavery, civil war, reconstruction, and political corruption, which is why Abraham Lincoln described him as our best recruiting sergeant.
Thanks to his cartoons, he even contributed to the dissolution and arrest of some rotten structures in America.
Thomas Nast engraved the modern figure of Santa Claus, which everyone knows today, in our minds with a special drawing he made in the edition of Harper's Weekly dated December 29, 1866.
Why is the Elephant the Symbol of the Republican Party in America?
It is based on interesting stories that in the United States, the symbol of the Democratic Party is a donkey and the symbol of the Republican Party is an elephant. These symbols are something that emerged according to historical developments in American politics and the purpose of the symbols is to represent various political stances.
In the late 1830s, Andrew Jackson, a leader of the Democratic Party, was described by his political opponents as "stubborn as an ass." Jackson decided to adopt this expression as a symbol by removing its negative meaning and began to use the donkey as the symbol of the Democratic Party. After the 1870s, a cartoonist named Thomas Nast began depicting democrats as donkeys, and this symbol became established over time. The donkey symbol is used to emphasize that the Democratic Party represents the interests of ordinary people and a strong government.
Symbol of the Republican Party: Elephant
The elephant, the symbol of the Republican Party, became popular with a drawing in Harper's Weekly magazine in 1874. In this drawing drawn by Thomas Nast, the elephant representing the Republican Party was positioned on the left, calmly observing the dangers. In this drawing, the elephant symbolizes the foresight, courage, and careful approach of the party members.
Over time, the symbols became identified with party identities and began to be used officially in American politics.