To order images and/or obtain permission to use them commercially, please contact the KSHS Reference Desk at KSHS.reference@ks.gov or 785-272-8681, ext. 117.
For more information see the Copyright and Permission FAQ.
This humorous cartoon illustration depicts a grasshopper standing upright with a crutch, eye patch, and a sling holding his left arm. By his side is a small suitcase. The countryside in the background has been completely stripped of all greenery, with only tree trunks and twigs surviving. In 1874, Kansas was hit with a grasshopper plague that destroyed most of the farmers' crops.
Creator: Vance, F. T.
Date: 1875
This source could be used to demonstrate to students how, in tough times, using humor can make life more bearable. This cartoon could be grouped with other sources dealing with the plague, such as newspaper articles about the grasshopper infestation or John William Gardiner's diary.
KS:7th:3.7:Challenges of Settlement (2005)
Item Number: 265
Call Number: QL.1 G *1
KSHS Identifier: DaRT ID: 265
Agriculture - Environment - Pests - Grasshoppers
Collections - Photograph
Curriculum - 7th Grade Standards - Kansas History Standards - 1860s to 1870s (Benchmark 3) - Challenges of settlement (Indicator 7) - Grasshoppers
Date - 1870s - 1875
Environment - Wildlife - Insects
Objects and Artifacts - Communication Artifacts - Documentary Artifact - Cartoon
Thematic Time Period - Immigration and Settlement, 1854 - 1890
Type of Material - Cartoons
http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/265
