Why the Gilded Age . . . and Why Now?

International Journal of Historical Archaeology, Dec 2012

Charles E. Orser Jr.

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Why the Gilded Age . . . and Why Now?

Charles E. Orser Jr. 0 ) Department of Anthropology , New York State Museum, Albany, NY 12230, USA - No one who sees the cartoon can misunderstand its meaning. The image it portrays is indelible even though the author shows only a single individual, an obese man, probably in late middle age. We immediately notice that a huge pot belly protrudes over his belt line and that a tight vest stretches across his enormous chest. That he has both hands inserted firmly into his trousers pockets only intensifies the strain on his vest. Above the V made by the top of his vest he, or most likely a valet, has pinned an enormous circular broach. If we look closely enough, we can see a tiny bowtie peaking out from under what should be his chin. But oddly, his chin is missing and his head has no human features. Instead, his cranium is actually a money bag embossed, not with eyes, nose, and mouth, but with a single, large dollar sign. The bag is tied at the top just where we would expect to see a tuft of hair. This powerful image first appeared in Harpers Weekly on October 21, 1871. Its creator, the iconoclastic political cartoonist Thomas Nast, entitled it The Brains. He meant it as a blistering caricature of Boss William Tweed, the front man of that quintessential wellspring of political corruption, Tammany Hall in New York City. So Nast, the man who has also given us our most recognizable image of Santa Claus, has also created a glyph of capitalist modernity and the role of money in politics that is as recognizable and as timeless an image as a Lascaux bull. Now lets move forward 139 years to October 2010. Here we discover a new cartoon. In this one, four male figures stand in a row speaking in pairs. In the first duo, the one closest to us, a short, overweight, middle-aged man with a brush haircut and wearing a t-shirt reading Tea Party Patriot, speaks to his companion, who wears a finely tailored three-piece business suit. The short man is telling the business man Your TV ads attacking the Big Government Liberal Democrats are Great! . . . But, Im curious, who are you guys? His companion replies Dont worry about that little man. Just remember, were on your side! Behind the back of these two men and beyond their hearing, one of the men in the other pairboth of whom also wear three-piece suitswhispers to the other Psst! Isnt he one of the chumps we laid off? referring to the man wearing the t-shirt. This dialogue has profound meaning to many Great Recession Americans, but what is immediately remarkable about the men in the business suits is that they all have heads made of money bags embossed with a single dollar sign. Only the man in the t-shirt has a human face. The artist of this cartoon, David Horsey, entitled it Mysterious money men behind attack ads. The gifted artists of these two clever cartoons, separated in date by over a century, skillfully communicate trenchant social messages about their times. Among the many messages that might be revealed by these visual commentaries, two stand out most prominently. The first is that wealthy men with enormously deep pockets have the resources to control the course of events. Their heads are so filled with thoughts of financial gain and dreams of wealth that they have essentially become sacks of money. Their power and authority is betrayed by their dress, their comportment, and, at least in the second cartoon, their words. These money-bag men are comfortable being in charge. A second message contained in the cartoons, however, is perhaps the most devastating to consider. This message has at least two facets: first, that things may not have changed so much in the United States between 1871 and 2010men with heads of money still control the nations economics and rule its social hierarchyand second, that the nation has returned to a time when riches rule and those with do not attempt to hide their rule over those without. Their heads of money are plainly on display and they cannot conceal it nor do they care to do so. Both facets are true. American citizens today live in a Second Gilded Age, a time of unembarrassed condescension by the wealthy and a betrayal of the social contract by those with power, authority, and wealth. The social hierarchy remains essentially unchanged, at its grossest level, since the late nineteenth century. Our current times mirror an earlier Age of Betrayal (Beatty 2007). In both eras the social contract between the government and its people, if not completely severed, was at least in tatters. Modern-world archaeologists have a special responsibility to investigate the material-social conditions of the past. Their research should cause us to reflect upon our own times and to wonder why inequality and unfair advantage still exist within a nation that unceasingly proclaims its commitment to democracy, fairness, and equality. Modern-world archaeology is a critical historical archaeology that does not attempt to deny the destructive power of voraciou (...truncated)


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Charles E. Orser Jr.. Why the Gilded Age . . . and Why Now?, International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2012, pp. 623-633, Volume 16, Issue 4, DOI: 10.1007/s10761-012-0205-y