I guess I can keep right ahead (1903)
Technique: Giclée quality print
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"I Guess I Can Keep Right Ahead" (1903), drawn by John Samuel Pughe, stands as a captivating illustration ingrained with socio-political commentary, reflective of the Gilded Age in America. This colorful piece portrays a corpulent figure, labeled "Trust," symbolically skating on thin ice marked as the "Protective Tariff." The figure is dapperly dressed in a green jacket and plaid trousers, teetering confidently on skates, unaware or carefree of the approaching "Danger" sign marked "Congress."The artist uses caricature to craft a humorous yet pointed critique of the era's economic policies and their guardians. The exaggerated physique of the monopolist "Trust" character, balancing adeptly on skates, visually encapsulates the overconfidence of the trusts and monopolies in navigating through protective economic measures without heed to potential legislative repercussions.Through sharp artistic wit, Pughe encapsulates the tension between economic power structures and political oversight of the early 20th century—a telling reminder of the timeless interplay between commerce and governance.
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John Samuel Pughe, was a Welsh-born American political cartoonist, best known for his illustrations for Puck magazine.
John Samuel Pughe was born in Dolgelley, Merionethshire, Wales, and brought to America by his parents when he was two years old. He studied art at Cooper Union.
J. S. Pughe illustrated news stories for the New York Recorder, Brooklyn Life, and the Brooklyn edition of the World as a young man. He began working at Puck magazine in 1894. He was a regular contributor there until his last cartoon for them, in December 1908.
Pughe died in 1909, age 38, at Lakehurst, New Jersey, where he had been spending several months to improve his health.