A Beautiful Fairy Tale political cartoon, 1908
Permanent ID:
11734Language:
EnglishDate:
November 20 1908Image Description:
John D. Rockefeller sits on a rocking chair and recounts a "fairy tale" to a child sitting on his lap. The child is labeled "common people." In the fairy tale, Rockefeller defends Standard Oil and his business practices.John D. Rockefeller was an American businessman, philanthropist and founder of Standard Oil. In the 1870s and 1880s, Rockefeller drove all his competitors out of business and monopolized the U.S. petroleum industry. In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt launched a major anti-trust suit which targeted Rockefeller's Standard Oil. In May 1911, the U.S. Supreme Court declared Standard Oil in violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Law and dissolved the company. Despite the Supreme Court's decision, Rockefeller continued to amass a fortune and is considered one of the wealthiest men in US history.
Format:
Clippings; Political cartoonsPublisher:
Collection:
Historical Society of Pennsylvania cartoons and caricatures collectionRelated People or Organizations:
Johnson, Herbert, 1878-1946 (artist)Biunno, Diane (Transcribed by)
Biunno, Diane (Encoded by)
Historical Society of Pennsylvania (repository)
John D. Rockefeller, Sr., 1839-1937 (depicted)
Wanamaker, Thomas B., 1865-1908 (publisher)
Standard Oil Company (mentioned)