Jay T. Last Collection of Politics and Social Issues Prints and Ephemera

The Jay T. Last Collection of Politics and Social Issues Prints and Ephemera contains approximately 400 printed items related to politics and social issues in the United States from the 1800s to the 1950s, with the bulk of the items dating from 1850 to 1910. Most of these items are lithographs, but engravings and woodcuts are also included.

Materials are arranged in two series: small-size items (11 x 14 inches or less) and large-size items (more than 11 x 14 inches). Small-size items are described broadly at the series level; large-size items and select small-size items are fully inventoried with printers, artists, and publishers indexed by name. The collection includes over 130 large-size items comprised mainly of lithographed commemorative portraits of United States presidents, political cartoons and caricatures, views of civic buildings and correctional facilities, and portraits of political candidates. Small-size items number approximately 270 and contain a variety of materials, including small-format portraits, album card sets, trade cards, election or rally tickets, and ribbons.

The collection highlights both well-known and less recognized American political figures and activists of the 19th and early 20th centuries along with social causes and issues often linked to political activities, most notably the temperance movement. The images provide a rich visual resource for studying the history of American governance of citizens including national, state, and local laws, issues, elections, and causes, as well as a perspective on portraiture, caricatures, and political cartoons of the 19th and early 20th centuries. As graphic materials, the prints and ephemera offer evidence of developing techniques and trends in printmaking, and of the artists, engravers, lithographers, printers, and publishers involved in the creative process.