I've had an eye out for a thorough discussion of the history of the Marxist cartoon image of the gluttonous, well-dressed capitalist for a while, and haven't had any luck finding one. I know that it dates back at least to the 1920s. Here's a good example of the type from that era:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4wQbxnS1vqj-BXMiocmdrjgjQ2wZblOVPCE74YNeADJPTBf5S4Sr-As4mzhcaAtRY2uo2dEHugblapomtDbK1ywrK2OAGPLTjA11yZA7KB6FdPa2Cde7D4UrQoRU1yyQX7BdN/s400/Kapitalist.jpg)
Here he turns up in the first Soviet animated film:
(There's a good description of both of these images over at Raymond Owen's film blog, where I found them.)
It's a surprisingly resilient image. In American popular culture it has become deracinated from its Marxist roots in figures like Scrooge McDuck, the Batman villain The Penguin, and The Monopoly Guy.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarwXk_cWK-eR0ZZQtw_WQpSEVUQD5Y5c-id3rUmQUvESGEk30e-zOQhCAEvrIRf503TxynwLe1XR9ctaxTF5ceEBFd1gLdzgJmis0P0DcOT41rFpjrmACQlTOT4AbCVQ07cvc/s400/ScroogeMcDuck.png)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS9bNivJ4GOC_nfCd7DF8rUEalCgrzeBDjkB75uuVxitCIq25SSsVAjMJ0eTeDJ2dWAN3WP0MMze-QxBYYy2rODfsTC2KpznYgmmYEG_EkPHEtdKVMUMKDaUPi4T-zwKVaO_8O/s400/ThePenguin.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-xgEcaMSRTJ-qgPMxPdSGyrk88pp71d36bYEOiGlmZUgc691MuxTSUlwhDtIHDZaJJzVOe7pPwaCVtddVELpd_RQHHyTOj5aoCLTbZNXpC69ELP9llz6yEg3l6-go3El0PUE/s400/monopoly-man.gif)
My hunger to get at the history of the image arises from seeing this country music video a few years back, Montgomery Gentry's “You Do Your Thing:”
It's basically a propaganda film for Republican talking points, and half of it is built out of old Marxist cartoon imagery. It's not only deracinated from its communist roots, in a bizarre reversal we are offered presumptively left-leaning cosmopolites as the gluttonous, well-dressed villains with contempt for the common people.
This comes to mind because at the Occupy Wall Street protest, there was an amazing life-imitates-propaganda moment as champagne-swilling Wall Street WASPs looked down over the protest.
Is there a chance that American lefties can reclaim this old image?
Update: The Gothamist has uncovered the Facebook event invite to the “Anti Hippy Protester Champagne Toast.” Only check it out if you'd like to feel a little rage.
Update: A friend finds John Hodgman in character as the Formally-Dressed Capitalist. We are, again, meant to immediately recognize the image.