"What Are You Laughing At? To the Victor Belong the Spoils" (from "Harper's Weekly," vol. 15, p. 1097)
After Thomas Nast American, born Germany
Publisher Harper's Weekly American
Subject William Magear Tweed American
Not on view
New York’s famously corrupt politician William M. "Boss" Tweed appears here as a defeated Roman soldier. Nast’s critical satires of Tweed appeared regularly in Harper’s Weekly and helped persuade New York voters to oust the Democrats in November 1871. This ended Tweed’s corrupt leadership of Tammany Hall—a political machine that embezzled hundreds of millions of dollars over three years and bribed critics into silence. Nast compares the defeated Tweed to the Roman consul Caius Marius, exiled in disgrace to the ruined city of Carthage. Wearing a crown of dollar signs, a gouty Tweed leans on an empty treasury box, grips a broken sword, and glares in defiant disbelief.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
