THOMAS NAST
By: Haley Combs
Introduction
Thomas Nast was a German-born American. He was an editorial cartoonist for newspapers. He is now considered to be "the Father of the American Cartoon". He created cartoons that would criticize and critique political parties and their actions.
Background Information
When Nast was around six years old he moved from Landau, Germany to the US with his mother and sister. For many years they lived in New York waiting for there father to come join them. Even at a young age Nast loved drawing. He was not a very good student, mostly because he got distracted and lost in his doodles. After dropping out of regular school he studied at the National Academy of Art until going to work. He soon landed a job in 1855 doing illustrations for "Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper".
Intentions and Accomplishments
During his time at the newspaper he became very well known, but only over time. He soon moved and became part of the Harper's Weekly team as an artist. He soon earned much praise for his depictions of the civil war. "While there, Nast quickly made a name for himself as a political cartoonist, focusing on such topics as the civil war, slavery and corruption."(http://www.biography.com/people/thomas-nast-9420600) During the Civil war, his drawings encouraged others to fight. He used his influence to help remove Boss Tweed from power. After trying to bribe Nast to leave town and failing, Boss Tweed eventually fled the country to avoid prosecution. Nast had exposed the corruption of Tweed and his peers. As his career went on he continued to expose political misdeeds. Most of his cartoons are still popular today, some even use his style of cartoon. "Following his death in 1902, Thomas Nast's obituary in Harper's Weekly stated, 'He has been called, perhaps not with accuracy, but with substantial justice, the Father of American Caricature.'"(http://cartoons.osu.edu/digital_albums/thomasnast/bio.htm)
Famous Cartoons By Thomas Nast
Bibliography
Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.
"Thomas Nast." Thomas Nast. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.