Thomas Nast
Born September 27, 1840
Landau, Germany
Died December 7, 1902
Guayaquil, Ecuador
Northern newspaper artist
Drew sentimental pictures and harsh editorial
cartoons that increased public support for the
Union cause during the Civil War
Thomas Nast. (Reproduced by permission of Archive Photos, Inc.)
"Thomas Nast has been our best recruiting sergeant. His emblematic cartoons have never failed to arouse enthusiasm and patriotism. . . .
Abraham Lincoln
In the days before photography enjoyed wide use, American newspapers hired artists to draw pictures to accompany news stories. Thomas Nast was one of the best-known and most influential newspaper artists of this period. He produced over three thousand pictures during his career, ranging from sentimental paintings to harsh editorial cartoons. His work inspired public support for the Union cause during the Civil War, and helped end government corruption in New York City in the years afterward. "For nearly a quarter of a century, through the pages of Harper's Weekly, Nast gave his strength to the American people," Albert Bigelow Paine wrote in Thomas Nast: His Period and His Pictures. "He was profoundly moved by every public question, and his emotions found expression in his pictures. Such a man can but awaken a powerful response."
Shows Artistic Talent from an Early Age
Thomas Nast was born in Landau, Germany, on September 27, 1840.
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