Quick Facts
Born:
April 28, 1856, Banbury, Oxfordshire, Eng.
Died:
Jan. 19, 1896, Canajoharie, N.Y., U.S. (aged 39)

Bernhard Gillam (born April 28, 1856, Banbury, Oxfordshire, Eng.—died Jan. 19, 1896, Canajoharie, N.Y., U.S.) was an American political cartoonist noted for his influential cartoons associated with the U.S. presidential campaigns of the late 19th century.

With his parents Gillam immigrated to New York in 1866. He left school early and worked as a copyist in a lawyer’s office before studying engraving. His first caricatures were published in Leslie’s Weekly and the New York Graphic, and their success determined his career as a political cartoonist. After working with the cartoonist Thomas Nast on Harper’s Weekly during the presidential campaign of James A. Garfield in 1880, he was hired by Puck, a pro-Democratic comic weekly, in 1881. Although he was a Republican, he contributed in part to the defeat of James G. Blaine by Grover Cleveland in the election of 1884 through a biting “tattooed man” series published in Puck, in which Blaine was shown tattooed with his evil deeds. The first of the series, “The National Dime Museum,” caricatured many political figures in addition to Blaine and became one of Gillam’s and Puck’s most famous cartoons.

In 1886 Gillam became part owner and director in chief of the pro-Republican comic weekly Judge, which he developed into a powerful political voice. During the presidential campaigns of 1888 and 1892, Gillam’s cartoons depicted the dangers of the free-trade policy of the Democrats and the benefits of Republican protectionism. Gillam’s career was cut short when he died of typhoid fever.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.

political cartoon, a drawing (often including caricature) made for the purpose of conveying editorial commentary on politics, politicians, and current events. Such cartoons play a role in the political discourse of a society that provides for freedom of speech and of the press. They are a primarily opinion-oriented medium and can generally be found on the editorial pages of newspapers and other journalistic outlets, whether in print or electronic form. Their subject matter is usually that of current and newsworthy political issues, and, in order for them to be understood, they require that readers possess some basic background knowledge about their subject matter, ideally that provided by the medium in which they are published.

A political cartoon is also an artistic vehicle characterized by both metaphorical and satirical language. It may point out the contexts, problems, and discrepancies of a political situation. Although a drawing reflects a cartoonist’s judgment and point of view and the visual commentary often exaggerates circumstances, responsible editorial standards do not allow the artist to alter facts. During the process of rendering opinions into such a visual form, many artistic decisions (regarding symbols, allegories, techniques, composition, and so forth) must be made. While doing so, the cartoonist must keep in mind whether the audience will be able to understand the editorial cartoon. When successful, political cartoons can fulfill an important criticizing and controlling function in society. In addition, political cartoons can encourage the process of opinion formation and decision making as well as provide entertaining perspectives on the news.

Thomas Knieper