author
Joseph Ferdinand Keppler
1838–1894
An Austrian-born American cartoonist and caricaturist, he helped shape political satire in the United States through bold, witty illustrations. He is best remembered as the founder of Puck, a magazine that brought sharp humor and striking color cartoons to a wide audience.
1 Audiobook
A Selection of Cartoons from Puck
by Joseph Ferdinand Keppler
About the author
Born in Vienna on February 1, 1838, Joseph Ferdinand Keppler studied art before eventually making his way to the United States. After his father had earlier fled Austria following the revolutions of 1848, Keppler joined him in America in 1867 and began building a career as an illustrator and humorist.
Keppler became one of the most influential satirical artists of his time. He first worked in the German-language press and later helped relaunch Puck in New York, where it grew into the first widely successful humorous weekly in the United States. Its political cartoons, many of them drawn by Keppler, were known for their theatrical energy, rich color, and fearless commentary on public life.
He died in New York on February 19, 1894, but his influence lasted well beyond his lifetime. Today he is remembered as a pioneer of American editorial cartooning whose work helped define the visual language of political satire in the late nineteenth century.