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  WILLIAM McKINLEY AND THEODORE ROOSEVELT PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN POSTER: "THE ADMINISTRATION'S PROMISES HAVE BEEN KEPT", 1900

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L):
Flag Size (H x L): 16" x 21.24
Description....:
WILLIAM McKINLEY AND THEODORE ROOSEVELT PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN POSTER: "THE ADMINISTRATION'S PROMISES HAVE BEEN KEPT", 1900:

This graphic and colorful lithograph political poster was made for the campaign of William F. McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt in the year 1900. Portraits of the two men appear in jugate fashion in a scrollwork center medallion, above which are two American national flags, draped in mirror image, crowned by a liberty cap. The cap appears in a wreath with a sunburst behind. Below the two men is a quote from President McKinley, who was seeking a second term. It reads: "The American flag has not been planted in foreign soil to acquire more territory but for humanity's sake (McKinley, July 12th, 1900)". At the top are the year of his previous win with Vice President Garret Hobart, 1896, and the current year, underneath the heading "The Administration's Promises Have Been Kept".

Flanking each side of the poster are a series of images that show how the world might have been if William Jennings Bryan had instead won the White House on the Democrat ticket with closed factories, no railroads, plows rusting in the fields, a currency based on silver rather than gold, and Cuba before the Spanish American War, which was won during McKinley's first presidency in 1898. With tales of Roosevelt's famous charge with his Rough Riders at the Battle of San Juan Hill still fresh in the minds of American voters, and much economic prosperity under the McKinley-Hobart administration, the McKinley-Roosevelt ticket won easily.

It is interesting to note that both of these men would soon hold our nation's highest office. President William McKinley, while only six months into this, his second term, was assassinated by Leon Frank Czolgosz while attending the Pan-American Exposition (World's Fair) in Buffalo, NY. Roosevelt assumed the presidency for the remainder of the term then won the 1904 election to serve an additional four years.

The poster is signed "Allied Printing, Chicago, Ill." and is marked "Trades Council, Union Label, 142". A trades council is an association of labor unions, so the poster was likely commissioned to be printed and distributed by chapter 142 (probably in Chicago, though exact location unknown) in support of the McKinley-Roosevelt ticket.

Mounting: The poster has been mounted to Tyvek fabric.

Condition: There are fold marks with associated losses. The largest loss is at the top and bottom on the center fold. There is a small amount of old tape along the edges. Creases and losses were reinforced and masked with period paper. The colors are strong and the poster presents beautifully.
Collector Level: Intermediate-Level Collectors and Special Gifts
Flag Type:
Star Count:
Earliest Date of Origin: 1900
Latest Date of Origin: 1900
State/Affiliation:
War Association: 1898 Spanish American War
Price: SOLD
 

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