Senator Dolph of Oregon (Joseph Norman Dolph)
Thomas Nast American, born Germany
Portrait of Joseph Norton Dolph American
Not on view
Nast’s striking caricature of the United States senator from Oregon probably dates to 1894, the year that Dolph lost his bid for a third term. The image resembles a photograph published in a Congressional directory of 1893, but Nash exaggerated the nose and brows and suggested an outsized personality by giving the long beard and hair a wild energy. As an outspoken defender of principled politicians, the artist was likely sympathetic to his subject, who was a hardworking, well-respected litigator. Nast made this drawing at a time when reliable outlets for his work had grown scarce. After severing his longtime connection to Harper’s Weekly in 1886, he experienced financial difficulties. Scratchboard was used for this drawing, a support that consists of paper covered with a thin layer of clay, a medium that allows the creation of bright highlights.
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