The Statute of Limitation
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Accession Number
S/NPG.76.20
Tags
Art Historical Context
Thomas Nast's *The Statute of Limitation* (1877) is a sharp political cartoon, rendered as a print, that captures the heated aftermath of the 1876 U.S. presidential election. Nast, a pioneering caricaturist for *Harper's Weekly*, was renowned for his biting satirical illustrations that shaped public opinion on corruption and politics. Here, he targets Samuel J. Tilden, the Democratic nominee from New York who narrowly lost to Republican Rutherford B. Hayes amid disputed electoral votes. The work draws on symbols like the U.S. Capitol, a seascape with fish (evoking slippery evasion), newspapers...