Cartoons and Caricatures of Mark Twain in Context

Reformer and Social Critic, 1869-1910
The first book-length treatment of Mark Twain’s public persona as depicted in newspaper and magazine illustrations.
The first book-length treatment of Mark Twain’s public persona as depicted in newspaper and magazine illustrations

Cartoons and Caricatures of Mark Twain: Reformer and Social Critic, 1869–1910 reproduces for students and scholars of Twain and American literature a provocative series of visual texts that illustrate the growth of Twain’s reputation as a social and political satirist. Myrick and Scharnhorst trace the evolution of Twain’s depiction across more than forty years and seventy illustrations—from portrayals of the famous author as a court jester adorned with cap and bells, to a regally haloed king with a royal train—offering a new perspective on his influence. Although he was among the most photographed figures of the nineteenth century, Myrick and Scharnhorst focus on a medium that Twain, a genius of self-promotion and an expert at brand management, could not control. As a result, Myrick and Scharnhorst have compiled an innovative and incisive type of reception history.

This initial volume of Cartoons and Caricatures of Mark Twain emphasizes Twain’s reputation as a political satirist. It illustrates the popular response to many famous and infamous episodes in his career, such as the storm of controversy that surrounded the publication of his anti-imperialist writings at the turn of the twentieth century. Routinely depicted with hair like a fright wig, a beak-like nose, and a cigar in hand, no matter the context or the costume, Twain was not only the greatest writer in American literary history but perhaps the most iconic figure in American popular culture.