Details
Creator Summers, William, artist.
Contributor Hunt, Charles, engraver.
Tregear, G.S., publisher.
Title Life in Philadelphia. "Have you any flesh coloured silk stockings...?" [graphic] / Engd. by Chas. Hunt.
Publisher London: Published by Tregear, at his humourous Print Shop, Cheapside
Publisher ENG. London. 1833
Date [ca. 1833]
Physical Description 1 print: color aquatint; 22 x 17 cm (8.75 x 6.25 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 green 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 pink floral patterned dress, as well as yellow tall, wide-brimmed floral-patterned hat adorned with purple flowers, greenery, and a veil and long yellow floral-patterned ribbon, yellow gloves, earrings, and green and red 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 yellow parasol rests against the counter. Rows of brown, white, pink, black, and tan 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 blue polka dot dress with pink neckerchief and tall, wide brimmed hat adorned with a veil and yellow ribbons is seen in the doorway of the shop in which multi-color 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 woman’s skin tone is depicted with black 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 above 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 -- 1830-1840.
Aquatints -- Hand-colored -- 1830-1840.
Printer Tregear, G.S., publisher.
Location Library Company of Philadelphia| Print Department| Life in Philadelphia (London) [P.9710.9]
Accession number P.9710.9