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Primary sourcePainting13 February 1904

Satterfield Valentine for John D. Rockefeller

Bob Satterfield · 13 February 1904

A 1904 valentine-style cartoon by Bob Satterfield mocking Rockefeller's oil fortune and his charitable giving to the University of Chicago.

Rockefeller is caricatured directly, mocking his wealth and philanthropic giving.

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Cartoon by Satterfield showing a bald, large-headed caricature of John D. Rockefeller with a hooked nose, seated with a money bag labeled with a lock, clutching coins. A verse appears below the drawing. Signed Satterfield, N.E.A.
Bob Satterfield, cartoon, 13 February 1904.

About this source

What it is

This cartoon, drawn by Bob Satterfield and published in February 1904, caricatures John D. Rockefeller as a bald man with a large head, sitting beside a locked money bag. Below the drawing is a satirical verse about his wealth.

Why it matters

The cartoon pokes fun at Rockefeller's enormous oil fortune and his public reputation for stinginess alongside his well-known philanthropy, especially toward the University of Chicago. It shows how the press used humor to criticize the extreme wealth of industrialists like Rockefeller during the Gilded Age.

Look closer

  • What physical features does the cartoonist exaggerate, and why?
  • What does the verse suggest about public attitudes toward Rockefeller's money-making?
  • How might a cartoon like this shape public opinion of a wealthy businessman?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of John D. Rockefeller on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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