Tilden or Blood

Two men clasp hands across a table littered with inflammatory broadsides — 'Tilden or Blood,' 'Civil War,' 'Are You Ready for Civil War?' — while a revolver lies beneath their interlocked grip. Posted notices behind them invoke the KKK, 'fraud, brag, and bluster,' and 'the bloody age of the United States of America.' Nast's engraved caption reads: A Truce — Not a Compromise, But a Chance for High-Toned Gentlemen to Retire Gracefully from Their Very Civil Declarations of War. The cartoon addresses the contested 1876 presidential election, mocking Democrats who threatened armed revolt if Samuel Tilden were denied the presidency. Nast's irony is cold: the handshake is performative, the 'truce' a face-saving retreat from rhetoric that had flirted with insurrection.