How donkey, elephant became symbols

This old cartoon by Thomas Nast in Harper's Weekly on January 6, 1870 seems appropriate today. The cartoon titled "A live jackass kicking a dead lion" was the first time Nast used the donkey as a symbol of the Democratic Party although it was first used in the 1830s by Andrew Jackson. However, it was Nast, a Republican who popularized the donkey as the Democratic symbol and who chose the elephant as the Republican symbol.

A little known fact about Nast: He could not read or write. He started drawing with old crayons given to him by a neighbor.

For information on two famous Nast cartoons featuring the poltical symbols, see the Commentary section of our web site or click on the headline. The article contains links to Democratic and Republican accounts of how their symbols originated and a link to a nice biography of Nast. For other Nast cartoons, just Google "Thomas Nast."