The political Sodom and Gomorrah are doomed to destruction / F. Grätz.

It wasn't really until the 1700s that caricature truly blossomed as a form of political criticism. In the late 1750s, a man named Thomas Townshend began using the techniques employed by earlier engravers and applying them towards a political model. This gave Thompson's cartoons a much greater feeling of propaganda than previous artistic critiques of the time. The intense political climate of the period, and often accusatory nature of most political cartoons forced many artists to use pseudonyms in order to avoid accusations of libel. Other artists took it a step farther, and left their cartoons completely unsigned, foregoing any credit they may have received. Political higher-ups were notoriously touchy about their reputations and were not afraid to make examples of offenders. Puck was the first successful humor magazine in the United States of colorful cartoons, caricatures and political satire of the issues of the day. It was published from 1871 until 1918.

Alois Senefelder, the inventor of lithography, introduced the subject of colored lithography in 1818. Printers in other countries, such as France and England, were also started producing color prints. The first American chromolithograph—a portrait of Reverend F. W. P. Greenwood—was created by William Sharp in 1840. Chromolithographs became so popular in American culture that the era has been labeled as "chromo civilization". During the Victorian times, chromolithographs populated children's and fine arts publications, as well as advertising art, in trade cards, labels, and posters. They were also used for advertisements, popular prints, and medical or scientific books.

According to the Bible, Sodom and Gomorrah were two cities in the ancient land of Canaan that were destroyed by God because of their inhabitants' wickedness and lack of hospitality. The exact location of these cities is unknown, but they are traditionally believed to have been located near the Dead Sea in modern-day Israel. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is told in the book of Genesis. It is said that the cities were filled with immoral and sinful people, who were unkind to travelers and refused to show hospitality. God decided to destroy the cities and sent two angels to warn Lot, a righteous man who lived in Sodom, to flee with his family. The angels also struck the men of the city with blindness, so that they could not harm Lot and his family. After Lot and his family escaped, God caused a rain of fire and sulfur to fall from the sky, destroying Sodom and Gomorrah and all their inhabitants. The cities were never rebuilt, and the area remains desolate to this day. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah serves as a warning against wickedness and lack of hospitality.