Editorial cartoonists must rely on visual shorthand to communicate with readers. Symbols are an important component of this shorthand because they communicate complicated ideas efficiently.

The standard definition of symbol is something that represents another thing by association, resemblance, or convention. Different cultures have different symbols. In order for an editorial cartoonist to use a symbol effectively, he or she must be sure that image used as a symbol is clearly understood by readers to stand for the person, place or thing he or she intended.

The earliest graphic symbol for the colonies in America was a young Native American woman. During the American Revolution, the use of this symbol continued, but occasionally a Greek goddess was used instead, following the pattern of the French symbol Marianne and the British, Britannia. The draped female figure known as Columbia was popular until the War of 1812. Thomas Nast revived Columbia as a symbol for America with his drawings of an attractive, vigorous young woman.

Brother Jonathan, a rustic rural character, and Yankee Doodle, a jaunty fellow decked in stars and stripes, were precursors to Uncle Sam. Legend links the name Uncle Sam to Sam Wilson, a meat supplier who sold barrels of beef stamped “U.S.” to the government during the War of 1812. Nast added a goatee to the Civil War era version of Uncle Sam that was based loosely on Abraham Lincoln’s lanky appearance, and this is the image of Uncle Sam now known around the world.

Thomas Nast is responsible for popularizing two more symbols still used by cartoonists today today. He popularized the donkey as the symbol for the Democratic Party and the elephant as a symbol for the Republican Party