Oscar Edward Cesare, 1885 - 1948 - A Personal Appointment - c. 1916 - T-Shirt

An ink editorial cartoon shows a bespectacled judge draping a judicial robe labelled "Brandeis" over a suited man beneath the seal of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Visual Elements & Composition

Pen and ink on cream paper, with parchment tones filling the field and ink black carrying the figures. Two standing men face each other before a classical column and a wall. The older man on the left wears pince-nez and has a thin, sharp face. He holds a long black robe marked "Judicial Robe" and reaches it over the shoulders of the taller figure on the right, who wears a dark suit and a serious, watchful expression. Heavy cross-hatching shades the robes and floor, and the exaggerated features push the scene into caricature. The U.S. Supreme Court seal, with its eagle and shield, sits above the scene, and the caption below reads "A Personal Appointment?"

Meaning & Symbolism

Oscar Cesare (1885-1948) worked as a newspaper cartoonist, and his signature appears in the lower right. The drawing comments on the 1916 nomination of Louis D. Brandeis to the Supreme Court. Showing the robe passed from one hand to another frames the appointment as a matter of personal favour, and the question mark hands the verdict to the viewer. The seal and the labelled robes tie the satire to the institution itself. Editorial cartoons like this were a central form of public comment in American newspapers during the 1910s, using caricature and caption to argue a political position.

Made to Be Read Up Close

The cartoon is built from a single upright grouping of two figures, which suits the front of a shirt. The caption works as a question addressed to whoever stands in front of the wearer, so each time the shirt is seen, the question of the appointment is put back into the conversation. The labelled robe and the seal reward a closer look, the way the original drawing rewarded readers of a 1916 newspaper page.