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Out of the Ruins

Out of the Ruins
Artist
Thomas Nast, 27 Sep 1840 - 7 Dec 1902
Sitter
Ulysses Simpson Grant, 27 Apr 1822 - 23 Jul 1885
Date
October 18, 1873
Type
Print
Medium
Wood engraving on paper
Dimensions
Image: 37 × 23.7 cm (14 9/16 × 9 5/16")
Sheet: 40.2 × 27.8 cm (15 13/16 × 10 15/16")
Topic
Costume\Headgear\Hat
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Mustache
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Beard
Architecture\Column
Imaginary
Newspaper
Cartoon\Political
Symbols & Motifs\Symbolic Figure\Liberty
Architecture\Ruins
Ulysses Simpson Grant: Male
Ulysses Simpson Grant: Natural Resource Occupations\Agriculturist\Farmer
Ulysses Simpson Grant: Politics and Government\Cabinet member\Secretary of War
Ulysses Simpson Grant: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Civil War
Ulysses Simpson Grant: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\General
Ulysses Simpson Grant: Politics and Government\President of US
Ulysses Simpson Grant: Congressional Gold Medal
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.87.86
Exhibition Label
In the fall of 1873, an economic downturn precipitated the severe national depression that would last through President Grant’s second term. Financial firms on Wall Street began closing, and so did scores of banks that had exhausted their monetary reserves. Grant resisted the appeals of brokers and financers to increase the money supply, and he instead favored a policy of “hard money” backed by gold. Thomas Nast largely supported Grant’s sound money policy, as did the national press. In this cartoon, Nast depicts Grant as a chief of police who is helping the figure of Liberty escape from the ruins of Wall Street.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view