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Great Locofoco Juggernaut,: A new console-a-tory sub-treasury rag-monster;
A satire of banking practices during Andrew Jackson's Presidency, concerning a banknote designed and published by D.C. Johnston.
D. C. Johnson: A Biographical Sketch, A Short History of the Events Leading to the Founding of the Sub-treasury, An Explanation of the Banknote, Bibliography and Suggested Reading,
D. C. Johnson: A Biographical Sketch, A Short History of the Events Leading to the Founding of the Sub-treasury, An Explanation of the Banknote, Bibliography and Suggested Reading,
35 pages
First published January 1, 1971
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March 31, 2026Great Locofoco juggernaut,: A new console-a-tory sub-treasury rag-monster; "A Cartoon Bank Note".
David Claypoole Johnston (1799–1865), often called the "American Cruikshank," was a master of visual parody and political critique. His work is characterized by dense, often grotesque detail and biting humor aimed at the social and political foibles of 19th-century America.
This book is about a satirical banknote made by DC Johnson in the 1830s to mock Andrew Jackson, the Locofocos and their "war" on the Bank of the United States and the transition to a sub-treasury system.
The "Locofocos" were a radical faction of the Democratic Party that emerged in New York City in 1835. Their conflict with the banks was rooted in a deep distrust of the "monied aristocracy".
They were originally the Equal Rights Party. During a meeting at Tammany Hall, their opponents turned off the gas lights to stop them. The radicals used "locofoco" friction matches to relight the room and continue, earning them their permanent nickname.
Locofocos despised paper money and state-chartered bank monopolies, which they believed favored the wealthy at the expense of the working man. They advocated for "specie" (gold and silver coin) as the only legitimate currency.
They supported Andrew Jackson's "war" to destroy the Second Bank of the United States, which Jackson viewed as a "monster" dangerous to the nation's liberties.
Their ultimate victory was the Independent Treasury Act of 1840, which completely separated the federal government from the private banking system—a key demand that President Van Buren adopted to appease them.
The satirical banknote at the heart of Malcolm Johnson's book is a visual "attack" on the financial policies of the Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren administrations. Titled "The Great Locofoco Juggernaut, A New Console-a-tory Sub-Treasury Rag-Monster," the etching mocks the shift toward a government-controlled treasury and the abandonment of the national bank.
Copies of this book originally came with a loose, restruck etching of the satirical bank note designed by DC Johnson.
A wagon labeled "Treasury Department" is shown stampeding over working-class citizens in the street.
The wagon is pulled by "Loco Focos" (radical Democrats) who are being whipped by Senator John C. Calhoun, a Southern states'-rights advocate who supported Jackson’s economic views
Atop the note, a "crazy dragon" with the face of Martin Van Buren hoards bags of money while riding the wagon.
Andrew Jackson is depicted as an incontinent donkey defecating gold currency!
Martin Van Buren makes a second appearance as a small "trained monkey" collecting the donkey’s droppings in a stylish top hat—a jab at his sycophancy and reputation for vanity.
At the bottom, a beetle with the face of Senator Thomas Hart Benton (a famous "hard money" proponent) pushes a pile of dung labeled as a "75-cent Treasury note".
David Claypoole Johnston (1799–1865), often called the "American Cruikshank," was a master of visual parody and political critique. His work is characterized by dense, often grotesque detail and biting humor aimed at the social and political foibles of 19th-century America.
This book is about a satirical banknote made by DC Johnson in the 1830s to mock Andrew Jackson, the Locofocos and their "war" on the Bank of the United States and the transition to a sub-treasury system.
The "Locofocos" were a radical faction of the Democratic Party that emerged in New York City in 1835. Their conflict with the banks was rooted in a deep distrust of the "monied aristocracy".
They were originally the Equal Rights Party. During a meeting at Tammany Hall, their opponents turned off the gas lights to stop them. The radicals used "locofoco" friction matches to relight the room and continue, earning them their permanent nickname.
Locofocos despised paper money and state-chartered bank monopolies, which they believed favored the wealthy at the expense of the working man. They advocated for "specie" (gold and silver coin) as the only legitimate currency.
They supported Andrew Jackson's "war" to destroy the Second Bank of the United States, which Jackson viewed as a "monster" dangerous to the nation's liberties.
Their ultimate victory was the Independent Treasury Act of 1840, which completely separated the federal government from the private banking system—a key demand that President Van Buren adopted to appease them.
The satirical banknote at the heart of Malcolm Johnson's book is a visual "attack" on the financial policies of the Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren administrations. Titled "The Great Locofoco Juggernaut, A New Console-a-tory Sub-Treasury Rag-Monster," the etching mocks the shift toward a government-controlled treasury and the abandonment of the national bank.
Copies of this book originally came with a loose, restruck etching of the satirical bank note designed by DC Johnson.
A wagon labeled "Treasury Department" is shown stampeding over working-class citizens in the street.
The wagon is pulled by "Loco Focos" (radical Democrats) who are being whipped by Senator John C. Calhoun, a Southern states'-rights advocate who supported Jackson’s economic views
Atop the note, a "crazy dragon" with the face of Martin Van Buren hoards bags of money while riding the wagon.
Andrew Jackson is depicted as an incontinent donkey defecating gold currency!
Martin Van Buren makes a second appearance as a small "trained monkey" collecting the donkey’s droppings in a stylish top hat—a jab at his sycophancy and reputation for vanity.
At the bottom, a beetle with the face of Senator Thomas Hart Benton (a famous "hard money" proponent) pushes a pile of dung labeled as a "75-cent Treasury note".
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