Scope and Contents:
The collection is composed of two printed political cards of anti-Democrat sentiment. The cards are satirical, poking fun at the Copperheads and presidential candidate George B. McClellan in advance of the 1864 election. They include illustrations of a donkey, as well as innuendos and wordplays reflecting recent political and military events.
Biographical/Historical Context:
Copperheads, also known as Peace Democrats, were Democrats in the Union who opposed the Civil War in favor of a peace agreement with the Confederates. In the presidential election of 1864, the Democratic Party adopted a platform aligned with Copperheads, advocating for an immediate end to the war. George B. McClellan, a former General in the Union Army, was chosen as the Democratic Party's nominee for president and was ultimately defeated by the incumbent, Abraham Lincoln.