Details
Title Clay, E. W. (Edward W.)
Date April 17, 1799- December 31, 1857
Description Edward W. Clay, the most prolific lithographic cartoonist of the Jacksonian era, was born of English-decent on April 17, 1799 in Philadelphia where he was active as an artist, engraver, and lithographer ca. 1819-1837. Son of well-to-do sea captain Robert Clay (1770-1804) and Eliza Williams (1776-1857) and admitted to the bar as a lawyer in 1825, Clay entered the printing trade as a Philadelphia engraver during his legal studies in the late 1810s. In pursuit of his chosen career, Clay traveled to Europe and studied art (ca. 1825-ca. 1828) and created book and periodical illustrations, sheet music covers, portraits, and character vignettes, such as "Lessons in Dancing" published by R. H. Hobson in 1828.
He created his most known work issued in Philadelphia, his etched series "Life in Philadelphia" (1828-1830) satirizing middle-class African American Philadelphians, following his return from Europe. Clay also began to work in lithography at that time and drew complementary lithographs to the "Life" series, including "Back to Back" (ca. 1829) and "A Dead Cut," (1829); the latter published by Pendleton, Kearny & Childs. Clay would continue to work with Childs' noted lithographic establishments from 1830 to 1833 and delineated advertisements, and satiric genre and news event prints, including "Skating. Scene on the River Delaware..." and "Ropers Gymnasium," both published by Childs & Inman in 1831. By 1831, however, Clay predominately focused his skills on political cartoons. He started to publish this work from the southeast corner of Fourth and Walnut Streets, including the popular anti-Jackson lithograph "The Rats Leaving a Falling House" (1831).
At about 1835, Clay relocated from his 300 Spruce Street Philadelphia residence to New York. Although he had lithographs published in New York previously by John Pendleton (formerly of Pendleton, Kearny, & Childs) and Anthony Imbert. he predominately designed cartoons printed by H. R. Robinson. In New York, Clay also drew lithographic sheet music covers on rare occasions, and during the 1840s and 1850s had many of his cartoons published by John Childs. Clay remained in New York designing political cartoons until about 1852 when his eye sight began to fail. Soon thereafter, as a result of family connections, he served as the Clerk of the Court of Chancery and Clerk of the Orphan's Court for Delaware between 1854 and 1856, as well as designed a Shankland's American fashion plate printed in 1854 by P. S. Duval & Co. By 1857 Clay returned to New York for medical care and died of "pulmonary consumption" on December 31, 1857. He was buried at the Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia.
Is part of Philadelphia on Stone Biographical Dictionary of Lithographers
References See Childs, C. G.; Childs & Inman; Hobson, R. H.; and Pendleton, Kearny & Childs.
Call number Philadelphia on Stone Biographical Dictionary of Lithographers
Bibliographic citation Groce & Wallace, 131
Library Company of Philadelphia research file
Davison, E.W. Clay: American Political Caricaturist of the Jacksonian Era. (PhD. diss., The University of Michigan, 1980)
Peters, 141-142
WWWAA, 662