Toothpick holder, Theodore Roosevelt

This German toothpick holder made of glazed pottery presents two different images associated with Theodore Roosevelt—a bear and a Rough Rider. Representations of Roosevelt with bears began after he refused to shoot a restrained bear on a 1902 hunting trip to Mississippi. Campaign items like this one frequently featured a bear that displayed no fear of Roosevelt the well-known hunter. In addition, this holder depicts Roosevelt wearing the uniform of and reaching for the hat worn by the Rough Riders, the popular name given to the First U.S. Volunteer Calvary led by Roosevelt during the Spanish-American War. Capitalizing on his fame as a war hero, Roosevelt appeared as a soldier on many objects produced for his campaigns.

Having ascended to the presidency after the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901, Roosevelt ran as an incumbent in the 1904 election. A Republican, Roosevelt won a full term in his own right defeating his Democratic challenger Alton Parker and Eugene V. Debs, a Socialist.