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Primary sourcePainting1852

The Game-Cock and the Goose

John L. Magee · 1852

An 1852 pro-Whig lithograph cartoon showing Franklin Pierce fainting on a goose while racing rival Winfield Scott for the presidency.

Directly depicts Pierce as a fainting, ridiculed candidate during his 1852 run for the presidency.

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Black-and-white lithograph cartoon titled 'The Game-Cock & the Goose.' Winfield Scott, in a military uniform, rides a large gamecock and tips his plumed hat. Franklin Pierce, in uniform, reclines on a goose, looking pale and fainting while holding reins. Spectators in top hats watch from the upper left and background. Speech bubbles contain dialogue between the two men.
John L. Magee, 'The Game-Cock & the Goose,' 1852 campaign lithograph.

About this source

What it is

This lithograph cartoon titled 'The Game-Cock & the Goose' was created in 1852 by John L. Magee during the presidential campaign. It depicts Winfield Scott riding a gamecock and Franklin Pierce, pale and fainting, riding a goose, with speech bubbles showing their mocking dialogue.

Why it matters

The cartoon satirizes an actual event from the Mexican War, when Pierce fainted from an old combat injury, turning a real moment into political ridicule. The goose was also a symbol used against earlier Democratic figures. This source shows how visual satire was used to shape public opinion of candidates like Pierce well before modern campaign advertising.

Look closer

  • What details in the image are meant to make Pierce look weak compared to Scott?
  • Why might a real wartime injury be turned into a joke by political opponents?
  • What does this cartoon's one-sided mockery leave out about Pierce's actual service record?

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

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