Puck was the first successful humor magazine in the United States of colorful cartoons, caricatures and political satire of the issues of the day. It was founded in 1876 as a German-language publication by Joseph Keppler, an Austrian immigrant cartoonist. Puck's first English-language edition was published in 1877, covering issues like New York City's Tammany Hall, presidential politics, and social issues of the late 19th century to the early 20th century.
Cover of Puck (April 6, 1901): Columbia wearing a warship bearing the words "World Power" as her "Easter bonnet"
The Raven An 1890 Puck cartoon depicts President Benjamin Harrison at his desk wearing his grandfather's hat which is too big for his head, suggesting that he is not fit for the presidency. Atop a bust of William Henry Harrison, a raven with the head of Secretary of State James G. Blaine gawks down at the President, a reference to the famous Edgar Allan Poe poem "The Raven". Blaine and Harrison were at odds over the recently proposed McKinley Tariff.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz accosts Congressman James G. Blaine chopping down a tree in the forest, c. 1878
European Royalties: Go West! (after assassination of Alexander II of Russia), March 30, 1881
Joseph Ferdinand Keppler was an Austrian-born American cartoonist and caricaturist who greatly influenced the growth of satirical cartooning in the United States.
Photo portrait, 1880
Self portrait, 1893
The Pirate Publisher— An International Burlesque that has the Longest Run on Record (1886), satirizing copyright laws that operated in single countries only, and thus permitted newly published works from one country to be published in another without paying the authors
"Our Mutual Friend", January 7, 1885, cover warning of the dangers of color additives used in candy
