Matt Morgan (cartoonist)

Matthew Somerville Morgan (27 April 1837 – 2 June 1890) was an English‐American artist known mainly for his political cartoons in various publications.

[1] He also studied in Paris, Italy, and Spain, and was one of the first artists to penetrate into the interior of Africa, which he did in 1858 by way of French Algeria.

He was associated with F. C. Burnand, W. S. Gilbert, and others, in the establishment of the London humor magazine Fun; his first "big cut" came out on 28 December 1861.

His greatest fame came during the 1872 presidential campaign, when Morgan drew cartoons on behalf of the Liberal Republicans against President Ulysses S. Grant.

He went in 1880 to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was manager of the Strobridge Lithographing Company until 1885, and did much to improve the character of theatrical lithography.

One of Morgan's works, an advertisement poster for the Figaro Spanish Students. The artwork catches a glimpse of history being made and culture changing, as the Spanish Students toured the United States with their guitars and Bandurrias . During the interest in them, there was confusion about their bandurrias, and the final result was the mandolin becoming a well-known musical instrument in the United States. [ 2 ]