Puck Pays His Compliments

Keppler's cover shows Theodore Roosevelt—recently elected Governor of New York—seated at a cluttered desk beneath a bust of George Washington, papers before him labeled Canal Investigation, Civil Service Reform, National Guard, and Police Reform. Bowing at his feet is Puck himself, rendered as a small cherub in black costume with a red sash, hat in hand. The caption reads: "A happy New Year, Mr. Governor! Now, just get to work and show us all what good stuff you've got in you!" The composition frames Roosevelt as a reform-minded heir to Washington's civic virtue. Keppler's Puck figure here carries no ethnic caricature; the magazine's elf mascot was its standard self-promotional device. The overall argument is straightforwardly optimistic: the reform agenda stacked on Roosevelt's desk is ambitious, and Puck—speaking for progressive public opinion—is cautiously, cheerfully hopeful.