Thomas Nast was one of the most influential and prolific satirical artists in U.S. history. He introduced the Republican elephant (1874), the Democratic donkey (1870), and the dollar sign as a symbol of greed or fiscal dishonesty. In this drawing, Nast addresses the “capital ceiling scandal” that arose over the construction of one of the nation’s most elaborate and expensive state-capitol buildings. In 1868 the New York State Constitutional Convention voted in favor of the construction of a new building, with the cost not to exceed four million dollars. Finally completed in 1899 for over twenty million dollars, the New York State Capitol was the most expensive government building of its time.