Thomas Nast

Often called the father of the American cartoon. Nast drew about 2,200 cartoons for Harper's Weekly between 1859 and 1896, and his Civil War work was so effective for the Union that Lincoln reportedly called him its best recruiter. His biting campaign against New York's Boss Tweed, with Tammany Hall drawn as a prowling tiger, helped bring Tweed down in 1871. Nast also gave Americans the Republican elephant and shaped the popular images of Uncle Sam and Santa Claus, symbols cartoonists still reach for every week. His dense, crowded compositions repay a slow look.