Nast, Thomas
Nast, Thomas( 1840–1902),political caricaturist and illustrator, born in Germany, was brought to the U.S. (1846) and commenced his career as an illustrator at 15. After sketching events of Garibaldi's campaign in Italy for French, English, and American papers, he joined the staff of Harper's Weekly (1862) to draw Civil War cartoons that attacked Northern defeatists, leading Lincoln to call him “our best recruiting sergeant.” He reached the height of his success in the 1870s, with his biting caricatures of the corrupt Tweed Ring. Although his greatest work was completed by 1886, he helped determine public opinion for almost a quarter of a century through his keen, forceful satire. He was the creator of the symbolic Tammany tiger, Republican elephant, and Democratic donkey, and popularized the use of Shakespearean scenes for political cartoons.
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