The Donkey long has been the mascot of the Democratic Party. It began during the U. S. presidential campaign on 1828. Democrat Andrew Jackson—called a "Jackass" by his opponents—decided to lean-in to the sobriquet. He embraced the Donkey as part of his brand: stubborn, steadfast, determined and willful.
But it wasn't until the 1870's when the Donkey really took-off as the symbol of the P-O-D, The Party of Democracy. Artist Thomas Nast (1840-1902), a German-born immigrant to New York City, became the country's first great political cartoonist. His long career with Harper's Weekly (1859-1886) gave him a platform to skewer and satirize political performers. And he took a special joy in going after bullies. While Nast did not create the Donkey as the party's symbol, he popularized it. He did create the GOP mascot, the elephant. He also created the modern American conception of a fat, red and white Santa Claus—an evolution of the Saint Nicholas which he knew from his German homeland.
Shown above, a set of four highball glasses from the Fifties. A Pennsylvania Democratic Donkey—Rarin' to Go!—kicks up his heels. Stubborn, steadfast, determined and willful. Click on the photo above to learn more about this cool set of glassware.
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