Thomas Nast
1840–1902
Introduction
Thomas Nast (; German: [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".
Nast was deeply involved in the political issues of the day, often as a member of the Republican party. He promoted the platform of the Radical Republicans against President Andrew Johnson and supported Republican presidential candidates Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, and Benjamin Harrison. Despite his attachment to the Republican party, Nast prominently and repeatedly criticized 1884 nominee James G. Blaine, informally joining the Mugwump faction of Republicans who supported Democrat Grover Cleveland's candidacy.
Nast was a sharp critic of "Boss" Tweed and the Tammany Hall Democratic Party political machine. He also focused his critical attention on the unreconstructed South as it fought measures to establish civil rights for black Southerners following the surrender of the Confederacy . Concerned with civil service reform and good governance, Nast made repeated mockery of political figures he felt were corrupt or otherwise deserving of scorn, including Senator Carl Schurz, Liberal Republican press magnate Horace Greeley, and Stalwart leader Roscoe Conkling.
In 1863, in the midst of the US Civil War, Nast published a picture of "Santa Claus" as a Union soldier holding a puppet of "Jeff" (Jefferson Davis) with a noose around its neck. This is generally recognized as the first depiction of the modern Santa Claus (based on the traditional German figures of Saint Nicholas and Weihnachtsmann). Nast has also been credited for being the first to depict the Republican Party using an elephant.
Contrary to popular belief, Nast did not create Uncle Sam (the male personification of the United States Federal Government), Columbia (the female personification of American values), or the Democratic donkey, although he did popularize those symbols through his artwork. Nast was associated with the magazine Harper's Weekly from 1859 to 1860 and from 1862 until 1886. Nast's influence was so widespread that Theodore Roosevelt once said, "Thomas Nast was our best teacher."
Wikidata identifier
Q214957
Information from Wikipedia, made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License . Accessed January 2, 2026.
Introduction
American illustrator of German birth, best known for his scathing political cartoon commentaries on the Civil War and the political corruptions of the 1870s. He is also known for creating such lasting images as the Republican Elephant, the Democratic Donkey, and Santa Claus, having done the illustrations for Clement C. Moore's "The Night Before Christmas." Comment on works: painter; master draughtsman; caricaturist; illustrator; cartoonist; Journalist
Country of birth
Germany
Roles
Artist, cartoonist, diplomat, genre artist, illustrator, painter
ULAN identifier
500026650
Names
Thomas Nast, Nast, Thos. Nast
Information from the Getty Research Institute's Union List of Artist Names ® (ULAN), made available under the ODC Attribution License. Accessed January 2, 2026.
