uncle sam Uncle Sam is usually taller than the other characters in political cartoons. He represents the ideals of America, and in this cartoon he is addressing the issue of race in American Labor.

Notice his angry facial expression. However, he is not violent. His finger getting the attention of War Industry is forceful but not overbearing. It is more his facial expression and presence that has scared the War Industry representative. name Could you tell that this was a Dr. Seuss cartoon? Are there hints in the cartoon that give this away (notice the pipe on the right hand side of the piano.

Some well known historical cartoonists are as follows: John T. McCutcheon (1870-1949), Boardman Robinson (1876-1952), Rollin Kirby (1875-1952), Jay N. Darling (1876-1962), Daniel R. Fitzpatrick (1891-1969), Bill Mauldin (1921- ), and Herbert L. Block (1909- ).

Knowing a little about the cartoonist can help to put the message in the cartoon in perspective. text This text is actually a quote from the upset Uncle Sam. In this cartoon Uncle Sam's mouth is closed and the words do not visually appear to be coming from him. Often in political cartoons the words a person is speaking will be visually associated with them. Still, we can infer that the words are Uncle Sam's and not the War Industry "maestro" and they are not a caption or title.

Sometimes a cartoonist will only provide text the title or caption. Labels are also common methods of implementing text into otherwise textless images. The label on the War Industry man and the labels on the black and white piano keys are good examples of this type of text use.

The message in the text is that War Industry must use Black Labor as well as white labor to have efficient output and domestic harmony. name Notice the face of the War Industry gentlemen. He has a top hat on and a cigar in his mouth. This is a typical representation of wealthy labor bosses. This disassociates them from the common person or laborer.

Notice also his facial expression. How would you describe it? Is he scared? Startled, worried, afraid? Do you think his face is an accurate representation of the feelings of War Industry towards the claim that they should make more use of Black labor? Often political cartoons depict what the artist would like to see rather than what actually is. war industry Putting a label on a character is a common method in political cartoons of telling the viewer who the character (or object represents). Another technique is to sometimes put a sash with a label on the person - like Ms. America would wear.

Obviously "War Industry" is not just one person, but a conglomerate of people, companies, and mindsets (racist ones). Who and what are all the components that make up War Industry.

If this image appeared without a caption telling you the date, could you tell when the image is from? What War is the image referring to. Could you figure out that it is referring to World War II? Are there any hints in image that give this away? Not really. You would have to use your historical knowledge to infer this. Historical knowledge is absolutely necessary in deconstructing political cartoons. black labor To understand what this label refers to you have to read the quote in the upper left hand corner of the image. Then it becomes clear that the black piano keys represent black labor. What do you think about use of piano keys to represent labor or people? white labor There are more white keys on a keyboard than there are black ones. How do you think this representation compares to the actual numerical differences between the number of black and white laborers during World War II.

Notice also the size of War Industry's hands. Note also his arm length. Do you think that he could comfortably play the white and black keys? What does this say? cobwebs The cobwebs on the black labor keys have a cool effect, but what are their historical implications. The first idea would be that the keys have not been used in a really long time. Possibly not at all. When (before World War II) has black labor been used during war time? cobwebs The cobwebs on the black labor keys have a cool effect, but what are their historical implications. The first idea would be that the keys have not been used in a really long time. Possibly not at all. When (before World War II) has black labor been used during war time? pipes with no sound Notice how no sound is coming out of these pipes. This represents the disharmony of the War Industry's labor force. Notice also that these pipes are on the 'left.' Is this a coincidence or does it have a deeper meaning. pipes with sound As opposed to the pipes on the right, these pipes are producing sound. They look like they are screaming - working really hard. Playing all of the keys might take some of the pressure off of these pipes.

Was the white labor force overworked during this time period. Would implementing black labor have increased efficiency as well as harmony? front pipes Not all of the front pipes show sound coming out. Like the cobwebs on the black keys this shows that the full range of the organ (or U.S. labor force) is not being used to its full potential. side pipes Stylistically, this pipe is very Dr. Seuss. Organs do not have pipes coming out the sides, but many of Dr. Seuss's machines have levers and pulleys in odd places.

From an historians perspective it can be helpful to identify aspects of a political cartoon that help to identify the artist.