Leaders of the Knights of Labor

A lithograph copyrighted in 1886 depicts the national leadership of the Knights of Labor, established as a secret fraternal order in 1869. The figure at center is Terence V. Powderly, the order's most important leader; he helped the Knights become a public organization in 1882. Surrounding him are bust portraits of other leaders in the organization, including Samuel Gompers, Henry George, and Adolph Strasser. A medallion at top features Uriah S. Stephens, founder of the Knights of Labor. The edges of the print show men at work—logging, mining, chiseling stone, and toiling in a foundry.