| Creator |
Clay, Edward Williams, 1799-1857, etcher. |
| Contributor |
Simpson, William, publisher. |
| Title |
Life in Philadelphia. "What de debil you hurrah for General Jackson for?" [graphic] / [Clay], fec. |
| Publisher |
Philadelphia: Published by W. Simpson, No. 66 Chestnut St |
| Publisher |
PA. Philadelphia. 1828 |
| Date |
1828 |
| Physical Description |
1 print: hand-colored etching; 20 x 18 cm (8 x 6.75 in.) |
| Description |
Racist caricature of an African American "’ministration man" (supporter of incumbent John Quincy Adams) aggressively chastising
an African American boy for his cheers of support for the new President, Andrew Jackson. Depicts, in the left, a man attired
in a blue waistcoat, green vest, red cravat, tan pants, and black slip on shoes holding a switch in his right hand and angrily
grabbing the boy who has a frightened look on his face and is barefoot. The boy is dressed in patched blue pants, a blue jacket
with an elbow patch, a red vest and a hat made from the pro-Jackson paper "The Mercury." A sword lays beside the boy and a
copy of the anti-Jackson paper "Democratic Press" lays in front of the man. In the background, cityscape is visible and a
large crowd is seen celebrating Jackson’s election around a flag pole. The figures are portrayed with oversized and exaggerated
features. Their skin tone is depicted with brown hand coloring.
|
| Notes |
Title from item. |
|
Date from item. |
|
Inscribed: Plate 7. |
|
Symbol of a key is used in place of the name Clay. |
|
Contains seven lines of dialogue in the vernacular and dialect below the image: Hurrah! Hurrah for General Jackson!! What
de debil you hurrah for General Jackson for ? _ You black nigger!_ I’ll larn you better_I’m a ministration man!!”
|
|
William Simpson was a Philadelphia "fancy store" proprietor who published the first 11 prints of the "Life in Philadelphia"
series. He also marketed the series as part of his "Artists' Repository."
|
|
Nancy Reynolds Davison's E.W. Clay: American Political Caricaturist of the Jacksonian Era (Phd. diss., the University of Michigan,
1980), p. 97. (LCP Print Room Uz, A423.O).
|
|
RVCDC |
|
Description revised 2021. |
|
Access points revised 2021. |
| Subject |
African Americans -- Caricatures and cartoons -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia. |
|
African American boys -- Caricatures and cartoons -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia. |
|
African American men -- Caricatures and cartoons -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia. |
|
African Americans -- Clothing & dress -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia. |
|
Conversation. |
|
Middle-class -- Clothing & dress -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia. |
|
Presidents -- United States -- Election -- 1828. |
|
Racism in popular culture. |
| Geographic subject |
United States -- Politics and government -- 1825-1829. |
| Genre |
Caricatures -- 1820-1830. |
|
Etchings -- Hand-colored -- 1820-1830. |
| Printer |
Simpson, William, publisher. |
| Location |
Library Company of Philadelphia| Print Department| Life in Philadelphia (Philadelphia Set) [P.8471.3] |
| Accession number |
P.8471.3 |
