Who Said Art and Politics Don't Mix?

On this date in 1874, a Thomas Nast cartoon appeared in Harper's Weekly with an elephant representing the Republican Party for the first time.

Since then, the elephant has remained a popular symbol for the party—in cartoons and in electoral campaigns.

In 2002, the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities launched the "Party Animals" project. Artists were encouraged to decorate elephants and donkeys, which were then displayed in locations all around the city. SAAM and NPG staff teamed to create the elephant shown in today's photo. Inspired by the Portrait Gallery's collection of political cartoons by famed illustrator Pat Oliphant, staff at both museums spent numerous hours pasting photocopies of Oliphant's drawings on the 150-pound polyurethane resin elephant. Cartoonist Oliphant himself (left) stopped by for a glimpse!

Pictured: SAAM and NPG staff pose with our Party Animal, Oliphant Elephant, photo by Gene Young.