On to Washington!

This political cartoon by Thomas Nast satirizes the ambitions of Democratic presidential hopeful John T. Hoffman, shown attempting to sneak up on the White House alongside Boss Tweed and a motley crew of corrupt Tammany Hall operatives, Erie Railroad Ring members, a Catholic archbishop, newspaper editors, and shady businessmen. The group represents the network of political and financial corruption Nast relentlessly exposed.

At the top of the White House steps, President Ulysses S. Grant sits calmly, reading a newspaper and smoking a cigar, seemingly unbothered by the approaching crowd. A poster beside him reads: “Let us have peace, for another term,” referencing Grant’s famous 1868 campaign slogan and supporting his bid for re-election in 1872. The cartoon reflects Nast’s staunch support for Grant and his campaign to protect the presidency from what he portrayed as the creeping threat of organized corruption.