Thou Art the Brightest Jewel in My Crown

Thomas Nast

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Widely considered to be one of the most important American satirists of the nineteenth century, Thomas Nast was a leading cartoonist in the United States in the mid to late nineteenth century. An outspoken defender of principled politicians, Nast targeted leaders whom he deemed unethical through his biting illustrations. These works harnessed popular references that could be easily understood by a partially illiterate audience. In 1868 the United States House of Representatives resolved to impeach President Andrew Johnson for removing the secretary of war from office without the approval of the Senate—a violation of the Tenure Office Act. Johnson, whom Nast’s cartoons often adversely referred to as "King Andy," is pictured donning a fur-trimmed cloak, and his stare is fixed on a jewel-encrusted crown. The caption refers to the glimmering gem at the top of the crown inscribed "Chase." This is a reference to Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase, who was criticized for overstepping his authority when he made several unilateral rulings in Johnson’s favor without soliciting the opinions of the Senate.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.

Metropolitan Museum of Art