George Washington

A fictionalized or satirical depiction of the historical first U.S. President, George Washington, appearing in the humor magazine Judge beginning in 1896, likely used as a patriotic symbol or subject of political commentary in illustrated form.

Few comic characters can claim a debut stretching all the way back to the Platinum Age, but George Washington has been gracing the illustrated page since 1896 — making him one of the most historically rooted figures in the entire medium. First brought to life by F. L. Fithian in the pages of Judge, this iconic American presence has endured across an astonishing 129 years of publication history, appearing in titles as varied as The American Legion and Tomahawk. With two key collector issues to his name and 124 catalogued appearances, he's a figure of genuine comics longevity, sharing the page with a remarkable roster of fellow historical giants — Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, and Ulysses S. Grant among them. For historians of the medium and collectors who love tracing comics back to their earliest roots, Washington's publishing journey is a fascinating thread running through American pop culture from the Victorian era to the present day.