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Primary sourcePainting1856

Union Soup: Buchanan Wins the Card Game

Bernard F. Reilly · 1856

A pro-Buchanan political cartoon from the 1856 presidential campaign, satirizing his rivals Frémont and Fillmore.

This campaign cartoon promotes Buchanan's 1856 presidential candidacy by depicting him defeating his rivals.

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Black-and-white lithograph cartoon titled "Buck taking the Pot." A man in a dark suit stands at left beside a large pot labeled "Union Soup" and holds a pile of cards, saying he has won the game. At right, a blindfolded man holds a candle-like lantern toward a sprawling man on the floor, who has a card in one hand, and a cloth bag labeled "Rock of Disunion" lies nearby.
Bernard F. Reilly, "Buck Taking the Pot" (Union Soup), 1856. Library of Congress.

About this source

What it is

This 1856 lithograph cartoon, titled "Buck Taking the Pot," is a pro-Buchanan campaign satire from the Library of Congress. It shows Buchanan winning a card game against his rivals John Frémont and Millard Fillmore, holding a pot labeled "Union Soup."

Why it matters

The cartoon reflects the sectional tensions of the 1856 election, mocking Frémont's abolitionist appeal and Fillmore's nativist party while presenting Buchanan as the candidate of national unity. It shows how political cartoons used humor and symbolism to sway voters.

Look closer

  • What do the labels "Union Soup" and "Rock of Disunion" suggest the cartoonist wanted viewers to think?
  • How does the cartoon portray Buchanan differently from his opponents?
  • What historical tensions does this cartoon simplify or leave out?

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

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