T. E. Powers (American, 1870-1939) The Raw Deal

T. E. Powers (American, 1870-1939) The Raw Deal Plumber Working at the Wrong Leak, A Clean Sweep, and The Hot Club's Selection for Six New Judges, New York Journal newspaper cartoons (three works), 1936 India ink on heavyweight paper 11 x 11-1x4 inches (27.9 x 28.6 cm) (The Raw Deal Plumber Working at the Wrong Leak, image) Each signed in lower region: 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. The Raw Deal Plumber Working at the Wrong Leak depicts a standing President Franklin D. Roosevelt as the "Raw Deal" plumber focused on corporate bonuses while "30 Billions" floods into the federal deficit. Of course, the "Tax Payer Holds the Bag" of the President's tools (all taxes). This cartoon was likely published in 1936 when the federal debt ran above $30 billion, and taxes were raised significantly. Alfred "Alf" Landon was the Republican governor of Kansas and the party's nominee for President in the 1936 election; opponents of Roosevelt and the New Deal hoped he would clean house in Washington. In A Clean Sweep, undoubtedly published in 1936, the "Landon" broom clears from the White House the Raw Deal, Social Security, and FDR cabinet members, high-ranking officials and advisers including Homer Cummings, Harry Hopkins, Rexford Tugwell, Henry Morgenthau Jr., Henry Wallace, Earl Browder (leader of the Communist Party of the US), David Dubinsky, and "Ma Perkins Little Boys from Moscow." Frances Perkins was Secretary of Labor. Landon lost in a landslide. (image size: 10.5" x 11.25") The Hot Club's Selection for Six New Judges focuses on FDR's 1937 court-packing scheme in which he proposed to add up to six new justices to the Supreme Court. This came after the Court ruled New Deal legislation unconstitutional, and, of course, the new appointees would be nominated by the President and expected to rule favorably on his policies. Potential candidates are shown at top, including Felix Frankfurter, Vito Marcantonio, Earl Browder, Joseph Robinson, David Dubinsky, and Joseph Guffey (an oil man from Pennsylvania toting a bucket of oil to smear his opponents). Comedians George Burns and Gracie Allen appear at lower left with Gracie as the "Hot Club Candidate" for Secretary of Labor, a position already occupied by Frances Perkins. (image size: 11" x 11.25") Quantity: (3) HID03101062020 © 2026 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.comxTexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice

Condition
Toning to teach sheet. A few faint handling creases, visible under raking light. Light scattered pin points of surface dirt, faint stains, and smudges, visible in areas of negative space and along extreme edges. Wear and markings to margins of page in keeping with illustration and publishing process. Each not framed. Each sheet overall: 11.25 x 13.75 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"