Thomas Nast was born on September 27, 1840, in Landau, Germany, and immigrated with his mother and sister to New York in 1846. Young Nast was a indifferent student—he never learned to read or write—but showed an early talent for drawing. He studied at the National Academy of Design in New York City. Thomas Nast began his career at the age of 15 at Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, worked briefly at Harper's Weekly, then took an assignment in England. His illustrations were published in European and American newspapers. After returning to the United States, Nast began to make a national name for himself with his cartoons during the Civil War, which were published in Harper's Weekly. Eliminating unnecessary pictorial detail and shortening captions, Thomas Nast advanced the development of the modern political cartoon and made it more forceful. He used his talents to become the most influential and famous cartoonist in the United States. His real breakthrough came with a series of drawings depicting the foibles of Reconstruction and the political corruption in New York City. His efforts were instrumental in dismantling the Tweed Ring. Thomas Nast became a wealthy man, in part though the publication of his drawings, but also from a lucrative series of public lectures in which he both spoke and sketched. Nast also was an illustrator and oil painter of note. Thomas Nast made lasting contributions to the American political and cultural scene. He: