One of the most memorable events of the American Labor Movement occurred in
1894—the Pullman Strike—a major confrontation between labor and the Railroad Management
that ultimately drew federal intervention [1]. An unknown political cartoonist wrote and illustrated “The Condition of the Laboring Man at Pullman,” in response to the Pullman Strike, and it was printed in The Detroit Free Press—where many of the other political cartoons relating to the Pullman Strike had been printed. The illustration uses satire and visual imagery to depict how George Pullman, the wealthy industrialist behind the Pullman Palace Car Company, used his wealth and influence to squeeze as much money out of his workers as he possibly could.
The illustration was produced during the Gilded Age—a time of unprecedented industrial
growth and an equal amount of inequality. During this time, the United States saw the rise of powerful railroad barons and factory owners, who amassed huge sums of money, while millions of American workers worked for long hours and extremely low wages. George Pullman, who manufactured luxury railroad cars and established a heavily regulated company town near Chicago, represented both extremes of this contradiction. Although Pullman advertised his town as a moralizing example of what a model community should be like, historians point out that “the national railway strike was a bitterly fought battle between workers and the company’s management.”[2]. Workers were required to rent homes owned by Pullman and purchase groceries at Pullman owned grocery stores, so they were largely dependent on Pullman for almost all of their needs.
When a national economic downturn hit in 1893, Pullman reduced his employees’ wages
by about 25%, but left their rents and grocery prices unchanged. Workers found themselves
unable to pay for food or shelter. The workers’ anger caused the Pullman Strike of 1894, led by the American Railway Union (ARU), under the guidance of Eugene V. Debs. The strike quickly expanded, crippling national rail transportation and mail service. Historians report that “the union won several key battles early on and that membership grew to 150,000.”[3] However, President Grover Cleveland responded by sending federal troops to break up the strike and the violence resulting in the deaths of over thirty individuals exposed the deep-seated divide in the country between industrial capital and the rights of labor.
The image of the illustration [4] makes this division evident by showing a large, well dressed man, labeled “Pullman,” turning the handle of a giant screw press, which crushes a helpless worker between two millstones labeled “Low Wages” and “High Rent.” The surrounding areas show the words “Capitalism,” “Autocracy,” and “Monopoly,” indicating the structural forces that ground the working class. The worker is shown in agony, while Pullman remains completely indifferent to the worker’s suffering, an intentional artistic choice that demonstrates the lack of empathy the wealthy had toward the people whose work created their wealth.
Even the smallest details in the background of the illustration enhance its message. For example, a sign reading “Buy Pullman’s Newspaper, It’s Always Reliable,” mocks the way
corporate control extends into all aspects of a person’s life including access to reliable news. The screw press—typically used to shape or finish products—acts as a metaphor for how industrial capitalism shaped human beings through exploitation. Scholars of labor during the Gilded Age indicate that artists and writers used visual media to translate abstract criticisms of capitalism into concrete images that were accessible to the general population. This cartoon does just that—it translates ideas such as inequality, greed and the power of corporations to create a living picture of human suffering.
The message in “The Condition of the Laboring Man at Pullman” extends far beyond the
confines of one strike or one company. Rather, it represents a growing awareness among the
general public of the extent to which industrialization helped build modern America, but also contributed to the widening of the gap between rich and poor. The same year that the cartoon was created, President Cleveland declared Labor Day a national holiday in an effort to placate American workers. Nonetheless, the cartoon implies that symbolic gestures would never suffice to bring true justice to workers unless the system that kept workers subjugated to their employers were addressed.
Ultimately, “The Condition of the Laboring Man at Pullman” is a biting critique of the
Gilded Age—a time when notions of progress and prosperity often masked widespread human
suffering. The cartoon converts a specific instance of injustice into a universal declaration, reminding viewers that prosperity achieved by oppressing others is always temporary. Over 100 years after its creation, “The Condition of the Laboring Man at Pullman” continues to expose the inherent tensions between profit and humanity, prompting Americans to reflect upon whose labor provides the comforts of others.
Works Cited:
1.Reed, Merl E., and Irwin Halfond. “Pullman Strike. | EBSCOhost,” April 30, 2023. https://openurl.ebsco.com/c/dq7v4l/EPDB%3Aers%3A8%3A70680/detailv2?sid=ebsco%3Aplink&id=ebsco%3Aers%3A89160836&crl=f&prompt=none&x-cgp-token=dq7v4l&link_origin=none.
2.“Jane Addams and the 1894 Pullman Strike,” Social Welfare History Project, September 11, 2024, https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/organizations/labor/jane-addams-and-the-1894-pullman-strike/.
3.“The Strike of 1894 – Pullman National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service),” n.d., https://www.nps.gov/pull/learn/historyculture/the-strike-of-1894.htm.
4. The Condition of Laboring Man at Pullman 1894.jpg – Wikimedia Commons. (1894, July 7). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Condition_of_Laboring_Man_at_Pullman_1894.jpg