Details
Creator Summers, William artist.
Contributor Hunt, Charles engraver.
Hunt, Charles, engraver.
T. C. Lewis & Co., publisher.
Title Life in Philadelphia. "Have you any flesh coloured silk stockings...?" [graphic] / Engd. by Chas. Hunt.
Publisher London: T. C. Lewis & Co. 96 Cheapside
Publisher ENG. London. 1860
Date [ca. 1860]
Physical Description 1 print: hand-colored aquatint; sheet 36 x 29 cm (14.25 x 10 in.)
Description Racist caricature of an African American woman shopping for a pair of "flesh coloured silk stockings" in a hosiery store with a white male sales clerk speaking with a French dialect. Depicts, in the center left, the woman standing at the brown counter in front of the clerk who holds up a pair of black-colored stockings from out of a rectangular box. She is attired in a red floral patterned dress, as well as yellow tall, wide-brimmed floral-patterned hat adorned with tan flowers, greenery, and a veil and long yellow floral-patterned ribbon, white gloves, earrings, and brown button-up boots. She rests her white, polka-dot-patterned purse on the counter and holds up a monocle from the end of her neck fob to inspect the stockings that the clerk declares are of "de first qualite!" Her black parasol rests against the counter. Rows of black, white, pink, and yellow stockings and fashion accessories hang on the wall behind the clerk. The clerk is attired in a green waistcoat with tails, a blue vest, white cravat, and white pants. In the left, an African American woman attired in a white polka dot dress and tall, wide brimmed hat adorned with a veil and pink ribbons is seen in the doorway of the shop in which light blue curtains hang and are pushed to the side. A shelf lined with bolts of textiles hangs above the doorway. The wheel of a carriage is seen behind the woman. The figures are portrayed with oversized and exaggerated features. The central woman figure’s skin tone is depicted with black hand coloring and the woman figure in the doorway’s skin tone is depicted with brown hand coloring. The man is depicted with rosy cheeks and brown, curled hair.
Notes Title from item.
Date inferred from content and name of publisher.
After the work of Edward W. Clay.
Attributed to William Summers.
Plate 11 of the original series of Life in Philadelphia.
Contains five lines of dialogue in the vernacular and dialect below the image: Have you any flesh coloured silk stockings, young man? Oui Madame! here is von pair of de first qualité!
Inscribed: No. 9.
Charles Hunt was a respected London engraver who was most known for his aquatints of sporting subjects.
RVCDC
Description revised 2021.
Access points revised 2021.
Subject African Americans -- Caricatures and cartoons -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia.
African American women -- Caricatures and cartoons -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia.
African American women -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia.
African American women -- Clothing & dress -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia.
Clerks (Retail trade) -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia.
Conversation.
Hosiery.
Men -- Clothing & dress -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia.
Middle-class -- Clothing & dress -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia.
Racism in popular culture.
Shopping -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia.
Genre Caricatures -- 1860-1870.
Aquatints -- Hand-colored -- 1860-1870.
Illustrator Hunt, Charles, engraver.
Printer T. C. Lewis & Co., publisher.
Location Library Company of Philadelphia| Print Department| Life in Philadelphia (London) [P.9713.2]
Accession number P.9713.2