Details
Contributor Imbert, Anthony, 1794 or 5-1834 publisher.
Canova, Dominico, artist.
Pendleton, John B., 1798-1866 publisher.
Canova, Dominico, artist.
Imbert, Anthony, 1794 or 5-1834,. publisher.
Pendleton, John B., 1798-1866, publisher.
Title Life in New York. [graphic].
Publisher New York
Publisher N.Y. New York. 1830
Date 1830-ca. 1834, bulk 1830
Physical Description 4 prints: lithographs, most hand-colored; various sizes, largest 29 x 33 cm (11.25 x 8.75 in.)
Description Collection of primarily racist social caricatures lampooning the etiquette and conventions of early 19th-century, middle-class New Yorkers, particularly the growing community of free African American persons. Eliciting the heightened racism in the antebellum North, the African American men, women, and children characters are depicted with exaggerated features, wearing boldly-patterned and colored clothes, and speaking in a vernacular to be portrayed and denigrated as illegitimate elite society. Caricatures also address “rules” of courtship, fashion, classism, and a dance lesson. Some caricatures also represent the sexism and ethnic divisions of the era.
Influenced by the "Life in Philadelphia" series of 1828-1830, the series consists of at least eight prints published around 1830 by eminent New York lithographer Anthony Imbert. Although often attributed to Edward W. Clay, the different styles of the caricatures imply that the prints were executed by various artists employed by Imbert. The African American caricature, "A Five Points Exclusive," a lithograph published in the early 1830s by John Pendleton, an associate of Imbert, has been included as a part of the series.
Notes Serie title from items.
Dates inferred from content and names of publishers.
Original series contained at least eight prints.
LCP holds four of the series. Three are first editions.
Nancy Reynolds Davison's E.W. Clay: American Political Caricaturist of Jacksonian America (PhD. diss., The University of Michigan, 1980), p. 93-95. (LCP Print Room Yz, A423.O)
Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
RVCDC
Description revised 2022.
Access points revised 2022.
Subject African Americans -- Caricatures and cartoons -- New York (State) -- New York.
African American men -- Caricatures and cartoons -- New York (State) -- New York.
African American women -- Caricatures and cartoons -- New York (State) -- New York.
African Americans -- Clothing & dress -- New York (State) -- New York.
African American men -- Clothing & dress -- New York (State) -- New York.
African American women -- Clothing & dress -- New York (State) -- New York.
African Americans -- Social conditions.
Corsets.
Dance -- New York (State) -- New York.
Men -- Clothing & dress -- New York (State) -- New York.
Middle class -- Clothing & dress -- New York (State) -- New York.
Parks -- New York (State) -- New York.
Police stations -- New York (State) -- New York.
Race Relations -- New York (State) -- New York.
Relations between the sexes -- New York (State) -- New York.
Racism in popular culture.
Social classes -- New York (State) -- New York.
Genre Caricatures -- 1830-1840.
Lithographs -- 1830-1840.
Illustrator Canova, Dominico, artist.
Printer Imbert, Anthony, 1794 or 5-1834,. publisher.
Pendleton, John B., 1798-1866, publisher.
Location Library Company of Philadelphia| Print Department| Life in New York (New York Set)