Next! (1904)

This map, drawn by Udo Keppler for Puck magazine, was published as part of the campaign for the 1904 United States presidential election.

The map depicts Standard Oil as a giant octopus, whose tentacles have ensnared the Capitol (on the left), the seat of state government (on the right), and several politicians (at the bottom right). In addition, the tentacle at the bottom left is reaching towards the White House.

In 1904, Standard Oil was the largest oil company in the United States, with a monopoly. de facto which encompassed the extraction, production, transport, refining and final sale of the products. This situation became the central issue in the presidential campaign between Republican Theodore Roosevelt, who was seeking re-election, and Democrat Alton B. Parker.

Parker was perceived by much of American society as an ally of Standard Oil, while Roosevelt was seen as the president who could end Standard Oil's monopoly. The election ended with a landslide victory for Roosevelt. In 1906, the US administration took Standard Oil to court for operating against competition law. As a result, in 1911, Standard Oil was broken up into 34 companies.

This map, like many others that use octopuses, is heavily influenced by the map of Fred W. Rose. In this monograph, You can see many more examples.

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