Monday, July 14, 2008
Marx and Pierce
Karl Marx (1818-1883) and Franklin Pierce (1804-1869) were contemporaries, but to my knowledge, they never met. The title of this post instead refers to Louis Marx, the toy magnate, whose company produced the semi-educational Presidents of the United States series of plastic figures beginning in the 1950's. Those interested can find more information at Disneykins.com. The series was produced in various sizes, some in white plastic that the owner could paint if so desired, and some pre-painted. I bought a painted version on eBay. It doesn't look all that much like Franklin Pierce, except for the wayward lock of hair on his forehead, and the Napoleanesque pose he affected in some of his portraits.
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2 comments:
Interesting blog you have here, David C. May I ask why you're fascinated with Pierce? Also, how did you find my blog? Just curious.
To answer your questions:
1. I became interested in Pierce after visiting Salem, Mass. and discovering that Nathaniel Hawthorne and Franklin Pierce became best friends at Bowdoin College. Their friendship continued as long as Hawthorne lived. Hawthorne wrote a campaign biography of Pierce, and Pierce made Hawthorne Consul to Liverpool in return. See also my post Franklin Pierce the Obscure which gives further information about how idle web surfing fed my obsession.
B. Periodically, I do a blog search for Franklin Pierce, and your post showed up.
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