Just a quick question…are there any (19th century, presumably) political cartoons that depict Alfred Nobel as the “Merchant of Death”?
I seem to recall seeing one or two, once upon a time. Damned if I can remember where, though.
I’ve been unable to find any, but here’s a relevant story that may reveal why you think they exist:
[quite]We can only speculate about the reasons for Nobel’s establishment of the prizes that bear his name. He was reticent about himself, and he confided in no one about his decision in the months preceding his death. The most plausible assumption is that a bizarre incident in 1888 may have triggered the train of reflection that culminated in his bequest for the Nobel Prizes. That year Alfred’s brother Ludvig had died while staying in Cannes, France. The French newspapers reported Ludvig’s death but confused him with Alfred, and one paper sported the headline “Le marchand de la mort est mort” **(“The merchant of death is dead.”) **Perhaps Alfred Nobel established the prizes to avoid precisely the sort of posthumous reputation suggested by this premature obituary.
[/quote]
Perhaps you’re confusing this newspaper headline re: his mistaken death with political cartoons about him.
Sorry; the link:
Arggh. Coding disasters… [quite] a [/ quote] …
While not conclusive, I just ran a search on the NYTimes and about 50+ other US papers from 1860-1920 for the phrase “merchant of death” and it doesn’t appear.
Yeah, I knew about the scathing mistaken obituaries (I kind of liked the one that called him a “Bellicose monster”), but I wasn’t sure if anyone had drawn up a cartoon to accompany one of 'em.
Still, thanks for searching, toadspittle and samclem! I owe you one.
Ranchoth
(So much for that avatar, I guess.)