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A Soldier's lot is not a happy one / Th. Nast. – Antique Wall Art

A Soldier's lot is not a happy one / Th. Nast., [published 1882] — antique engraving
A Soldier's lot is not a happy one / Th. Nast., [published 1882]. Antique engraving from the Historic Print Archive collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

A Soldier's lot is not a happy one / Th. Nast. comes to life in this antique engraving, reproduced from the original with every detail intact. An authentic image from the Library of Congress, it carries the weight of the real historical record.

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A Soldier's lot is not a happy one / Th. Nast.

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Thomas Nast drew this wood engraving for the April 19, 1882, issue of *Harper's Weekly*, where it appeared on page 272 as an editorial cartoon. Its ironic title, "A Soldier's Lot Is Not a Happy One," points to the cartoon's subject: the army's assigned role in guarding Native Americans under federal policy. Nast, the magazine's best-known cartoonist, used drawings like this one to comment on public affairs and to press readers toward a view. Its late-1880s setting, when the government relied heavily on soldiers to control reservations, gives it a clear place in debates over how the nation treated Native peoples.

Created / published[published 1882]
Medium1 print : wood engraving, with text and illustrations.
GenreEditorial cartoons 1880-1890.Wood engravings 1880-1890.
NotesIllus. in: Harper's weekly, 1882 April 19, p. 272.
SubjectsIndians of North America--Government relations--1880-1890. Guards--1880-1890.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan3,298 × 4,096 px · prints to 11 × 14 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-181849

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