What factors do you believe led to the popularity of political cartoons during the Gilded Age and of cartoonists such as Thomas Nast?

The Gilded Age is all about the rise of modern corporations. The factors that led up to the political cartoons would most likely be the idea that the new corporations were causing monopolies on the goods, and the public also believed that the corporations' wealth allowed them to influence the government. So I believe that the political cartoons gained popularity during the Gilded Age because of the public's growing beliefs that the new businesses were gaining to much power and influence.