The donkey and elephant became political symbols in the United States through a combination of political satire and popular culture, primarily driven by cartoonists in the 19th century.Here's how ...

The Republican elephant (“the sluggish animal”) is lying on and blocking the road to an election victory. By 1880, other cartoonists had picked up the symbols and spread them across the country.

The Republican elephant was first seen in an 1874 cartoon by satirist and conservative cartoonist Thomas Nast of Harper's Weekly. "The elephant was a wing of the party that was stodgy and immobile ...

14 Political Cartoons That Prove Humor Is a Bipartisan Issue. ... The elephant symbol for the Republican Party originated during the American Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865.

This political cartoon by Thomas Nast, taken from a 1879 edition of Harper's Weekly, was an early use of the elephant and the donkey to sybolize the Republican and Democratic parties. | getarchive.net ...

Nast picked on Republicans as well as Democrats. In his Nov. 7, 1874 cartoon labeled “Third Term Panic,” Nast commented on Republican Ulysses Grant’s consideration of a third term as president.

In the 1870s, political cartoonist Thomas Nast popularized the Democratic donkey in a series of popular cartoons. Nast depicted the donkey in several works, which started as his dislike for the ...

Michael Ramirez, Political Cartoonist: When people look at the editorial page, it's probably one of the primary things that they look at. And, therefore, it has a sort of measure of influence.

The Republican Party (GOP) elephant mascot sits on display in the exhibition hall during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, U.S., on Friday, Feb. 28 ...

Political Pattie’s in Washington, D.C., removed the Republican elephant and Democratic donkey from its logo just after opening as critics bashed the new bar for showing the GOP mascot. Owners of ...