T. E. Powers (American, 1870-1939) Communist Cuc

T. E. Powers (American, 1870-1939) Communist Cuckoo Club, Uncle Tom's Cabin Up To Date, and Raw Deal Opera!, New York Journal newspaper cartoon (three works), 1935-1936 India ink and blue pencil on heavyweight paper 10-3x4 x 11-1x4 inches (27.3 x 28.6 cm) (Raw Deal Opera!, image) Each signed lower right: T E Powers Thomas E. Powers was an early newspaper cartoon and comic artist and considered to be the first American to have a cartoon published in color. He worked at the Chicago Herald in the early 1890s and by mid-decade had found a place in New York with the New York Evening Journal of newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst. His comic strip creations included Our Moving Pictures, Mike and Mike and Mr. Nobody Home. Powers' cartoons were enormously popular and admired by Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge. Powers regularly pilloried the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal, which he called the "Raw" Deal. His work appeared in newspapers across the United States, and the Hearst organization remained his home for forty years until his retirement in 1937. Three of his originals published in 1935 and 1936 focus on the Roosevelt administration's tax policy that aimed to redistribute wealth by taxing the rich and corporations. President Franklin Roosevelt stands tall as "Prince Ali Ben-Dough" in Communist Cuckoo Club published in 1936. Joseph Stalin and "Russian Guests" look on with satisfaction as FDR magically transfers wealth from "The Rich" to "The Poor," and comments come from government insiders James Farley, Rexford Tugwell and assorted others. This is a remarkable cartoon given the stark imagery of the President and representatives of rich and poor. (image: 10.5 x 11.25 inches) Uncle Tom's Cabin Up To Date features Simon Legree as master of the Raw Deal whipping American "Business," "Tax Payer," "Consumer" and others to deposit their wealth aboard the "Queen of the Seize" riverboat in anticipation of the "Raw Deal Presidential Race" to come in 1936. FDR advisers and cabinet members James Farley, Harold Ickes, Harry Hopkins, Rexford Tugwell, Felix Frankfurter (running up the Soviet flag) and Henry Morgenthau, Jr. are all represented. This cartoon was published on January 7, 1936. (image: 11 x 11.75 inches) "William Tell" is the "Raw Deal Grand Opera" performed in Raw Deal Opera! that was published on December 25, 1935. A cross-eyed William Tell fires tax arrows and American industry profits are the target. FDR advisers and cabinet members Harry Hopkins, James Farley, Harold Ickes and Felix Frankfurter are assembled for the event. Quantity: (3) HID03101062020 © 2026 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.comxTexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice

Condition
Toning to each sheet. Impressed creases to areas of Ben Day dots on William Tell example. Light scattered pin points of surface dirt, faint stains, and smudges, most visible in areas of negative space and along extreme edges not affecting figures. Wear and markings to margins of pages in keeping with illustration and publishing process. Each not framed. Each sheet overall: 11.75 x 13.25 inches to 11.75 x 14.5 inches Heritage Auctions strongly encourages in-person inspection of items by the bidder. Statements by Heritage regarding the condition of objects are for guidance only and should not be relied upon as statements of fact, and do not constitute a representation, warranty, or assumption of liability by Heritage. All lots offered are sold "AS IS"