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Postcard, Theodore Roosevelt, 1907

Object Details

Description
Representations of Theodore Roosevelt with and sometimes as a bear began after he refused to shoot a restrained bear on a 1902 hunting trip to Mississippi. This eventually led to his famous association with the “teddy bear.” However, the use of that term was promoted not just by a stuffed toy but also in a popular series of children’s books by Seymour Eaton. In 1905 Eaton wrote his first volume about Teddy-B and Teddy-G, the Roosevelt Bears. The characters’ appeal was enhanced by the connection to Roosevelt’s presidency and his campaign as a third-party candidate in 1912. The illustrations of the Roosevelt Bears were so well-liked they were issued as postcards marketed to adults. The image by R.K. Culver on this postcard first appeared in the second volume of Eaton’s series, More About Teddy B and Teddy G, the Roosevelt Bears, published in 1907
Data Source
National Museum of American History
associated person
Roosevelt, Theodore
Credit Line
Ralph E. Becker Collection of Political Americana
Physical Description
paper (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 5 in x 3 1/2 in; 12.7 cm x 8.89 cm
Object Name
Postcard
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