Nast-y Politics

             It's easy to disregard political cartoons as an outdated form from an outdated medium, however this type of media still plays a huge role in our society. Not only has it found an updated home in political satire TV shows, but the legacy of this era in history should not be undervalued. Nast remains one of the most prolific and important figures in the images of American political history. He did not simply develop the American satire style, he left very specific and powerful imagery that continues to be used in the modern political sphere.

Uncle Sam serves as one of the most widely recognized figures in American political imagery. He is not Nast's invention, to be fair, but the manner in which Nast drew him has lasted as the iconic Uncle Sam image. Nast's version does tend to lose all semblance of friendliness though, and relegates him to a much darker, more intense roll. He often represents the government in performing actions that are not publicly condoned. As a complement to this the drawings take on a dark, angular look.

The Elephant and the Donkey as symbols of the republican and democratic party, respectively, are also heavily featured in Nast's work. Again, he did not create the symbols, but he proliferated them as a country wide representation of the bipartisan system.

In politics, image and imagery could be considered one of the most important aspects of any career. How the public interacts with politics symbolically may be more important than how they interact with it literally. Nast may not be to modern tastes in the realm of political comics and commentary, but his role and legacy cannot be understated.

Image Sources:
http://www.sonofthesouth.net/uncle-sam/images/uncle-sam-patriotic.jpg
http://www.cyberbee.com/nast/
http://www.rferl.org/content/us-politics-why-donkey-vs-elephant/24762343.html