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Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Nobody Knows What a Mule Will Do . . . .
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

Nobody Knows What a Mule Will Do . . . .

Object numberMO 2025.2.23
Artist (American editorial cartoonist, 1900 - 1962)
Date1935
Mediumpaper (cardstock), ink, pencil
Dimensionsoverall H 15 3/4 in x W 11 1/4 in (40 cm x 28.5 cm )

DescriptionAn original black and white cartoon titled at the top, “NOBODY KNOWS WHAT A MULE WILL DO . . . ..” It depicts a mule labeled “CONGRESS” hitched to a wagon labeled “FAST EXPRESS” on which are loaded barrels and crates, some of which are identified as “C.O.D.,” IMPORTANT LEGISLATION,” and “RUSH.” The mule appears to be stubbornly stopped in the middle of the road and is surrounded by broken pieces of wood and branches. Standing to the side of the donkey is Franklin D. Roosevelt (“F.D.R.”) who is holding a broken piece of wood in his right hand, is wiping his brow with a handkerchief in his left hand, and is seen saying of the mule, “IF I BUILD A FIRE UNDER HIM, HE MIGHT MOVE UP A FEW FEET AND BURN THE WAGON.” The artist has inscribed and signed the cartoon in the lower right corner: “Best Regards to [name erased] / DALLAS JOURNAL / FEB 20 1935 / Patton.”
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteDonated to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum by Karole S. Mourek, from the collection of Anthony J. Mourek, in 2024.
Credit LineGift from the Anthony J. Mourek Collection
Use Restriction StatusUnrestrictedCopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
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