Joseph Ferdinand Keppler (1 February 1838 Vienna - 19 February 1894 New York [1]), was an Austrian-born American cartoonist and caricaturist, who greatly influenced the growth of satirical cartooning in the United States.
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His parents were bakers, and his talent is said to have first manifested itself in his cake decorations.[2] He studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.[3] Through some caricatures criticizing the foibles of the time, his work at an early age gained access to the leading periodicals of Vienna, including the Austrian magazine Kikeriki (Cock-a-doodle-do),[3] the vehicle for his first political cartoons.[4] Quite as remarkable as his precociousness was his versatility. He joined a theatrical troupe as a comedian and traveled with them in the Tyrol and Italy. His ability to restore old paintings gained for him the good will and some extra money in many monasteries on the way. He was a charming companion, an excellent story-teller, and immediately popular wherever he went. Meanwhile his father had settled in the United States, and hearing glowing accounts from America, young Keppler wished to become as prosperous as others.[3]
Keppler arrived in St. Louis in 1867 and joined his father, who had come to the States to escape the European Revolutions of 1848, and established himself as a farmer and the proprietor of a general store.[4] Keppler also studied medicine for a time,[5][6] tried his hand once more at acting, became involved in the German-American community, and struck up friendships with journalists, writers, and artists. In 1869, he started a weekly, Die Vehme, which lasted for a year. In March 1871, he and fellow émigré Adolph Schwarzmann started Puck as a German-language weekly in St. Louis, which lasted until February 1872.[4] While in St. Louis, Keppler married Pauline Pfau in 1871, the union producing three children, Udo, Irma and Olga.[2][7] In 1864, he had married the Viennese actress Minna Rubens. She had died in 1870.[8]
He was then hired as cartoonist by Frank Leslie about 1873 and within a short while took charge of most of the cover illustrations for Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper. In 1876 he left and with Adolph Schwarzmann successfully resurrected Puck in New York, publishing an English-language version the following year. Keppler's main delight was in producing cartoons criticising President Ulysses S. Grant, and the political corruption of his administration. His cartoons were famous for their caustic wit, generating much publicity for Puck and pioneering the use of colour lithography for caricature.[9] Much of his success was due to a clever adaptation of classical and historical subjects to his criticisms of modern life.[5][6]
Keppler's opinions and wit endeared him to large sections of the American public. His illustrations cast light on complex politics, making issues clear to the average voter. Puck did not shy away from criticism of the administration and by influencing the perceptions of the voting public, certainly altered the course of American political history.[10]
Initially Keppler drew all the Puck cartoons. When his workload became too much, he made use of several talented artists including Frederick Burr Opper, Livingston Hopkins, Eugene Zimmerman, Louis Glackens, Frank Arthur Nankivell and Rose O'Neill.
In 1893, he took Puck to Chicago for a year for the World's Columbian Exposition. The stress and exhaustion of that experience damaged his health, and he died the next year in New York.[8]
Keppler's son, Udo J. Keppler (1872–1956), was also a political cartoonist and editor for Puck Magazine, a collector of Indian artifacts and an Indian activist. He had his name changed to Joseph Keppler, Jr. in honour of his father. He was an honorary chief of the Seneca nation, promoted Iroquois lacrosse teams, and obtained discount railroad fares for New York Indians.[11]