Caricature of William Jennings Bryan

Datec. 1910-1920

Artist Oscar Howard Cesare (Swedish-American artist, illustrator, and cartoonist, 1885–1948)

Illustration CitationDate and place of publication not identified

MediumInk and gouache on paper

Dimensions15 15/16 x 11 5/8 in. (40.5 x 29.5 cm)

Credit LineAcquired by exchange, 1988

Object number1988-92

On View

Not on view

ClassificationsDRAWING

Label TextOscar Cesare was a Swedish-born American caricaturist, painter, draftsman, and editorial cartoonist. By 1911, after studies in Paris, he was living in New York City, where he worked at several publications, including The New York Times. One of his frequent subjects was William Jennings Bryan, a force in the populist wing of the Democratic party, recognized for his oratorical powers. The artist captures and exaggerates his subject's appearance as recorded by an observer: "His jaw is heavy and square...he has a massive head... square chin, a broad chest...a mouth extending almost from ear to ear...Beneath his eyes is the protuberant flesh which physiognomists say is indicative of fluency in language."