The Phoenix, from Puck 1890

"The Phoenix," a satirical illustration by Joseph Keppler, created in 1890, depicts a man with a bird’s body rising from a burning pyre. The artwork uses a mythological motif, the Phoenix, a bird that burns and rises again from ashes, to comment on the state of American politics during the Gilded Age. This piece was published in Puck, a satirical magazine, known for its critical cartoons on political issues. Keppler, a German-born American artist, was a prominent political cartoonist who often used humor to express his views. The artwork is held by The Art Institute of Chicago.