Shining Lights of the Grand Old Party 1890

Editor: This lithograph from 1890, titled "Shining Lights of the Grand Old Party" by Frederick Burr Opper, looks like quite the scathing commentary! The figures are completely covered in what seem to be newspaper clippings or charges. What's your interpretation of this visual bombardment? Curator: Visual bombardment indeed! It’s an attack, an Opper special! The two characters represent U.S. Senators Matthew Quay and Henry De la Mater, completely plastered with accusations of corruption and political malfeasance. They’re literally drowning in bad press. Editor: I notice one is in a prison uniform. Is that Quay? Curator: Precisely! Opper is depicting Quay, the man in stripes, as deserving of imprisonment. Look closer at the phrases plastered all over him. Editor: I see “Quay is a Public Embezzler,” "Quay stole the Public Money"… Ouch. What’s the effect of covering them with words, instead of say, showing the events that led to their accusations? Curator: It's a deliberate strategy. Opper uses text to amplify the sense of overwhelming condemnation, like these accusations are inescapable. This also hints at the power of the press at the time. It’s not subtle, is it? But that’s the beauty – or perhaps the ugliness – of political cartoons. De la Mater's is being charged with getting elected through “improper means." And what about that slogan on top? Editor: You mean "Bills may be posted freely, the bill-boards will not object"? That’s clever! It’s almost as if the artist is inviting even more criticism! Curator: Exactly. It creates a darkly comic invitation to join the fray, ensuring their shame won't fade. It seems to me to speak to the power of visual commentary, wouldn't you agree? Editor: I see what you mean! Opper didn’t just create an image; he started a conversation and preserved a perspective on figures of infamy from that moment in time. It’s still creating conversation now.