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- Title
- Two of the killers
- Description
- View showing two outlandishly-attired members of the Philadelphia gang known as the "Killers" carousing on the street. One sits on a fire hydrant and the other leans against a lamp pole (posted with a "Sale" notice") at a street tenanted by a "Grocery" and adorned with broadsides. The men wear patterned pants, jackets with tails, oversized neck ties, and top hats. One also wears a pin adorned "K." They each have their hands in their pockets and smoke cigarettes. The grocery displays a barrel of brooms in addition to signs reading "Coffee Sugar Tea" and "Teas Coffee 5." The broadsides adorning the opposite building advertise "Auction this Evening" and "Circus The Old Man of the Mountain..... Dan Rice Clown." The playbill is illustrated with a scene of an equestrian trick. The "Killers," organized circa 1846, were a band of young men who menaced the Moyamensing neighborhood and were associated with the Moyamensing Hose Company and the Democratic Keystone Club., Date from Poulson inscription on recto: 1848., Wainwright suggests date of circa 1855., Philadelphia on Stone, POS 761, Wainwright retrospective conversion project, edited., Reproduced in Edwin Wolf's Philadelphia: Portrait of American city (Published by Camino Books in cooperation the Library Company of Philadelphia, 1990), page 199.
- Date
- [1848]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *W408 [P.2219]
- Title
- [Bust-length portrait of an unidentified young African American man]
- Description
- Copy photograph of a bust-length portrait of a young, unidentified African American man facing forward. The man has rosy-colored cheek, wears a mustache, and is attired in a white collared shirt, a waistcoat, and a jacket., Title supplied by cataloger., Date inferred from dates of operation of the photographer and attire of the sitter., Photographer's imprint stamped on mount., Gift of David Long, 2001., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., 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.
- Creator
- Shaw, Jeremiah H., photographer
- Date
- [ca. 1891]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department cabinet card portraits - photographer - Shaw [P.9969.2]
- Title
- [Bust-length portrait of an unidentified young African American man]
- Description
- Bust-length studio portrait of an unidentified young African American man. The man, wearing a mustache and attired in a white collared shirt, a striped tie, a waistcoat, and a jacket, faces slightly right., Title supplied by cataloger., Date inferred from operation dates of the photographer and attire of the sitter., Photographer's blindstamp on mount., Purchase 2001., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., 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.
- Creator
- Hurst, Jonathan A., photographer
- Date
- [ca. 1892]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department portrait photographs - misc - unidentified male [P.9967.1]
- Title
- [Bust-length portrait of an unidentified African American girl]
- Description
- Bust-length portrait of a young African American girl facing slightly right. She wears her curly hair in bangs at her forehead, with half of her long hair tied up and the rest draped behind her back. She is attired in small hoop earrings and a dress with a crocheted lace collar with a pin at the neck., Photographer's imprint printed on mount., Title supplied by cataloger., Date inferred from the photographer and attire of the sitter., Gift of David Long, 2001., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., 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., Parlor Gallery, operated by Lewis Horning, was in business at 525 South 9th Street from around 1886 until around 1894.
- Creator
- Parlor Gallery (Firm), photographer
- Date
- [ca. 1891]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department cabinet card portraits - photographer - Parlor [P.9981.11]
- Title
- [Unidentified African American man with a dog]
- Description
- Full-length portrait of an African American man, wearing a mustache and attired in a white collared shirt, a waistcoat, a jacket, a riding coat, and pants, standing in front of a backdrop adorned with ornate decorative columns. He holds a walking stick, crosses his right leg over his left, and leans on a balustrade on which a top hat rests. A white and brown spaniel dog lies in the foreground., Photographer's imprint printed on verso., Title supplied by cataloger., Purchase 2001., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., 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., Parlor Gallery, operated by Lewis Horning, was in business at 523 South 9th Street from around 1876 until 1885.
- Creator
- Parlor Gallery (Firm), photographer
- Date
- [ca. 1880]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department cabinet card portraits - photographer - Parlor [P.9981.7]
- Title
- [Full-length portrait of an unidentified young African American man]
- Description
- Full-length portrait of an African American man, attired in a white collared shirt, a pin-striped waistcoat with a watch chain and jacket, lighter-colored pin-striped pants, and shoes. He stands and holds a bowler hat in his right hand and rests his left hand on a chair draped with an animal fur. He is posed in front of a painted backdrop and looks at the viewer., Title supplied by cataloger., Manuscript note on verso: 6420., Purchase 2001., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., 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.
- Creator
- Grier, Andrew A., photographer
- Date
- [ca. 1890]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department cabinet card portraits - photographer - Grier [P.9930.4]
- Title
- Life in Philadephia [sic]. The valentine
- Description
- Racist caricature depicting an African American man reading a comic valentine in his bedroom as he prepares for bed. Shows the bearded man, beside a bed with a pink canopy, holding the back of a tilted chair (his waistcoat on it) with his left hand and holding up the valentine illustrated with a picture of the devil in his right hand. The man is portrayed with an angry expression and standing with his feet far apart. He wears a night cap, a blue-striped shirt, a black neck tie, brown pantaloons from which a watch fob hangs, white stockings and one red slipper. A water pitcher and boots lie near his feet. In the left, an African American woman, smiles, and stands behind the ajar bedroom door. She wears a night bonnet, neckerchief, short-sleeved shirt, blue skirt, and black slippers. A stairwell is seen behind her. Figures are portrayed with oversized and exaggerated features and their skin tone is depicted in black hand coloring., Title from item,, Date inferred from content and name of publisher., Contains one bubble of dialogue in the vernacular within the image: Holl’a! What’s all dis about_. “De rose is Red de Violets blue” De Debils Black and so are You. Well dat’s bery Fair indeed., Inscribed: No. 6., Charles Hunt was a respected 19th-century London engraver and etcher known mostly for his prints of sporting subjects., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- Summers, William, artist
- Date
- [ca. 1833]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in Philadelphia (London Set) [P.9710.6]
- Title
- [Unidentified African American woman]
- Description
- Near full-length portrait showing an African American woman attired in a narrow-brimmed, high-domed, ornamented bonnet; dark-colored, button-down shirt waist; and white skirt with ruching at the hips. A broach with a four-leaf clover detail adorns her collar. She stands between a post to her right and a stringy, hay bale-like prop to her left. She rests her left hand on the prop and holds a parasol perpendicular to the floor in her right. A photographer's head clamp is positioned to the left of the post and a backdrop illustrated with an outdoor setting is visible in the background. The studio is partially visible in the left of the image., Title supplied by cataloger., Accompanied by detached photographer's label (P.2017.14.4b)., Date inferred from "N.B." on photographer's label., Description and access points reviewed 2022.
- Creator
- Fenton, J., photographer
- Date
- [ca. 1867]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department tintypes - photographer - Fenton [P.2017.14.4a&b]
- Title
- [Portrait of five African American men attired in uniforms, probably band uniforms]
- Description
- Full-length portrait depicting the five young African American men, standing in a row, in a studio setting. The men on either end are slightly angled toward the man in the middle. The men have short-cropped hair, some with it parted in the middle. One man also has a mustache. The men are attired in white high collar shirts; bow ties; three-buttoned, dark jackets with flourishes across the chest and on the arms; and dark pants. One man (second from right) wears a black bow tie, while the others wear white ones. The man in the middle wears his jacket unbuttoned, while the others have theirs buttoned. Setting includes a palatial backdrop, a balustrade covered in drapery (in left), the edge of a platform (in right), and a fur rug on which the men stand., Title supplied by cataloger., Photographer's imprint with insignia printed on mount. Insignia composed of H.W. monogram with flourishes., Date inferred from years (1888-1892) photographer operated at address listed in imprint., Printed on verso: Harry A. Webb, art photographer, 112 and 114 N. 9th St., Philadelphia. Instantaneous process used exclusively. All negatives preserved. Duplicates, enlargements, or lockets. Can be furnished without resitting. Text surrounded by and within pictorial details. Details resemble pine needles, banners, and a circular ornament. The text and pictorial elements are within an ornamented border composed with bark-like details and ornate cornices adorned with floral twigs., Description reviewed 2022., Access points revised 2022., Harry A. Webb, born in England, worked in Philadelphia as a photographer by 1880. He continued in the profession through 1900. By the time of his death in 1927, he worked as a clerk for William H. Horstmann, a dress trimmings, military and regalia manufactory.
- Creator
- Webb, Harry A., 1847-1927, photographer
- Date
- [ca. 1890]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department cabinet card portraits - photographer - Webb [P.2017.40]
- Title
- [Three-quarter length portrait of Frances W. Bruce]
- Description
- Three-quarter length, forward facing, seated portrait of Frances W. Bruce. Sitter has dark hair parted in the middle with ringlet curls at the sides of her face. She is attired in a dress made of a patterned fabric of decorative scrolls and with a white lace collar and cuffs. She wears two rings on her right hand. Sitter rests her right elbow on a tableclothed side table in the left. Her left hand rests on her lap and slightly clasps her right hand. Frances Wardale Bruce (1815-1892) was William Y. McAllister’s sister and spouse of physician George D. Bruce., Title supplied by the cataloger., Date and name of photographer from manuscript note on label attached to case: Frances Bruce, Feb. 1845., Pad: Red velvet., Mat: Octagon., Case: Leather. Bouquet of mixed flowers in a vase. No design on verso., William Y. McAllister was an optician and cane manufacturer in Philadelphia from 1845 to 1860.
- Creator
- McAllister, W. Y. (William Young), 1812-1896, photographer
- Date
- Feb. 1845
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department cased photos – McAllister [P.2021.37]
- Title
- [Full-length studio portrait photograph of an unidentified, young African American man, seated]
- Description
- Shows the man, posed slightly to the left, seated on a wooden chair, and his left leg crossed over his right. He looks toward the photographer. His left hand rests in his lap and his right hand rests on the fore edge of the right arm of the chair. He wears a dark-colored suit, white shirt, neck tie, and laced up boots. Image also includes a backdrop and decorated flooring., Title supplied by cataloger., Photographer's imprint and insignia blindstamped on mount., Paper cover is embossed with floral pictorial details., Gift of J. Murray Atkins Library., Benjamin W. Fowler operated from 238 N. Eighth St., Philadelphia between 1889 and 1917.
- Creator
- Fowler, Benjamin W., photographer
- Date
- [ca. 1915]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department portrait photographs - photographer - Fowler [P.2022.54]
- Title
- [Fashion plate for Samuel A. & Asahel F. Ward]
- Description
- Fashion advertisement containing two panelled scenes of 11 elegantly attired men, women, and children in a parlor and outdoor setting. Upper panel shows the parlor scene. Four men and three women socialize. Three of the men wear suits and one, dressed in evening attire, sits in a chair. Two of the men hold top hats and all have chin beards. One woman wears an evening dress and the other two women are attired in day dresses and bonnets. One of the latter pair wears a shawl and the other holds a handkerchief. Also includes framed pictures, mosaic carpeting, a window with drapery, and a pedestal displaying a vase of flowers. Lower panel shows the outdoor scene. In the center, "Genl. David R. Porter, Govr. Of Penna. Copied by permission of Huddy & Duval" wears his uniform and is mounted on his horse. To the left, two men in overcoats stand near a hitching post. To the right, two men attired in top hats (one white), vests, jackets, pants, and holding canes, stand. In the background, a militia troop drills, including two separated members on horseback. All the men are clean shaven. Key numbered 1-7 and 8-11 printed above and below the image., Not in Wainwright., Title supplied by HSP., Philadelphia on Stone, POSP 68, Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Bc 642 W 363d, Trimmed.
- Creator
- Weaver, Matthias S., 1815 or 16-1847, artist
- Date
- [ca. 1842]
- Location
- Historical Society of Pennsylvania HSP Bc 642 W 363d
- Title
- Fashions for spring and summer 1854 by S. A. & A. F. Ward, no. 100 Chesnut [sic] Street Philadelphia, Pa
- Description
- Fashion advertisement containing two paneled scenes of 16 elegantly attired men, women, and children in outdoor settings. Upper panel shows six men, two women, and two boys socializing on a verandah. The men and boys wear patterned, light, and dark pants and jackets, bow ties or a cravat, and wear and hold top hats and canes. The women wear plain and ruffled hoop skirts, with one also attired in a bonnet and holding a parasol. Lower panel shows five men and a woman standing near a river lined by a stone gate monument, farmhouse, and mansion house. Includes a woman in a riding habit (part of a couple) standing next to a horse across from a man in a coat and tails. Four of the men wear patterned pants, long coats, and hold or wear hats. One also wears a plaid vest. Many of the depicted men wear mustaches. Key numbered 1-10 and 11-16 printed below the figures., Not in Wainwright., Philadelphia on Stone, POSP 77, Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Bc 642 W 263c 1854
- Date
- [ca. 1853]
- Location
- Historical Society of Pennsylvania HSP Bc 642 W 263c 1854
- Title
- Philadelphia fashions, fall & winter 1845, by Samuel A. Ward & Asahel F. Ward, no. 62 Walnut St
- Description
- Fashion advertisement containing two panelled scenes of 18 elegantly attired men, women, and children in a parlor and outdoor setting. Upper panel shows the parlor scene with 7 men, 2 boys and a woman socializing. Most of the men wear suits with striped pants, long coats, bow ties or a cravat and hold top hats and canes. The boys who cozy up to their seated father, wear a military style suit or a dress and pants. The woman, seated on a chaise lounge, wears a bonnet and holds a riding crop. Furnishings include a fireplace, mosaic carpeting, sofa, and a piano. Lower panel shows 7 men and a woman at an outdoor scene along the banks of the Schuylkill River across from the Blockley Almshouse and Schuylkill Permanent Bridge. The men wear fur-trimmed overcoats, a cloak with patterned lining, patterned pants, top hats, and a cap. Many hold canes or a riding crop and one man leans on a hitching post. The woman, turned to her side and her face obscured by a bonnet, wears a cloak and holds a muff. Most of the depicted men have some facial hair. Key numbered 1-10 and 11-18 printed below the figures., Not in Wainwright., Philadelphia on Stone, POSP 175, Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Bc 642 W 263d
- Creator
- French, John Taylor, 1822-1852, artist
- Date
- [ca. 1845]
- Location
- Historical Society of Pennsylvania HSP Bc 642 W 263d
- Title
- Fashions. Fall & winter. 1851-2. By S. A. Ward & A. F. Ward, no. 62 Walnut St. Philadelphia
- Description
- Fashion advertisement containing two panelled scenes of 21 elegantly attired men, women, and children in a parlor and outdoor setting. Scenes surrounded by a border designed as tree branches rising from tree stumps on which axes lay. Upper panel shows the parlor scene with 7 men, 2 women, a boy and a girl socializing. Most of the men wear suits, including two attired in striped pants, and the host wears an evening suit with white bow tie and tails. Four of the men wear or hold a top hat and a couple, arriving from the door, is attired in a suit and riding habit. The other woman, the hostess, at the center of the scene, flanked by her children, wears an evening dress with plunging neckline. Her two sons are attired in a hat, cape, tunic, and stockings and in a cap, jacket, and striped pants. Furnishings include a large display mirror, sofas, and drapery. Lower panel shows 10 men in front of a militia campsite near the coastline. Most of the men wear striped or checkered pants and overcoats or capes. All of the men wear top hats or caps and four of the men wear militia uniforms. Background includes a cannon, tents, and sailing ships. Many of the depicted men have mustaches and or sideburns. Key numbered 1-11 and 12-21 printed below the figures., Not in Wainwright., Philadelphia on Stone, POSP 72, Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Bc 642 W 263
- Date
- [ca. 1851]
- Location
- Historical Society of Pennsylvania HSP Bc 642 W 263
- Title
- Fashions for fall and winter 1853-4 by S. A. & A. F. Ward, no. 62 Walnut St. Philadelphia, Pa
- Description
- Fashion advertisement containing two panelled scenes of 19 elegantly attired men, women, and children in a parlor and outdoor setting. Upper panel shows the parlor scene with 7 men, 1 women, a boy and a girl socializing. To the left, two men attired in suits with striped pants, stand near a piano and cushioned chair. One holds a top hat and cane. In the center, a man wearing a patterned vest, and with a woman and a young girl in riding habits, stands near a cushioned arm chair. To the right, two men in suits with garishly printed pants, accessorized by top hats and canes stand. One talks to a man in an evening jacket with tails and a white tie. The man in evening attire leans again a table with his hand on the shoulder of a young boy attired in a long coat and pants who holds a ball in his hand. Lower panel shows 9 men and a woman in front of a riverbank and temple-style building in the background. Most of the men wear plaid and patterned pants, overcoats, cloaks, caps or top hats. One man holds an umbrella and a cigar. Also includes two men in hunting attire accompanied by a dog. The men carry gun powder pouches and one wears knee-high boots and the other holds a dead bird. The woman, in the center of the image, wears a riding habit and is seated side-saddle on a horse. Many of the depicted men have mustache, sideburns, or a beard. Key numbered 1-9 and 10-19 printed below the figures., Not in Wainwright., Philadelphia on Stone, POSP 75, Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Bc 642 W 263a
- Date
- [ca. 1853]
- Location
- Historical Society of Pennsylvania HSP Bc 642 W 263a
- Title
- Paris, New York & Philadelphia fashions, for spring & summer 1855. Published and sold by F. Mahan, no. 211 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia
- Description
- Fashion advertisement containing two paneled scenes of 22 elegantly attired men, women, and children in a parlor and outdoor setting. Upper panel shows the parlor scene. Eight men, a woman, and two boys socialize in clusters of three and four. The men and boys predominately wear suits, and the woman wears a ruffled layered dress with full skirt and as well as a bonnet. The other male figures wear a bed jacket and cap (man) and a dress with sash over bloomers (boy). A large vanity and two chairs furnish the room decorated with framed paintings, carpet, drapery, and wallpaper. Lower panel shows the outdoor scene set before an oceanside. Eight men, including "His Excellency A. Johnson" and "L. Hyneman Proprietor of Masonic Mirror," two boys, and a woman descend upon and stand on the stone pier. Six of the men wear suits, including overcoats. The two other men wear a riding outfit and a hunting outfit, including a rifle. The boys, one in pantaloons playing with a hoop and the other in pants, also were jackets. The woman wears a riding outfit. Most of the men are clean-shaven and all the men in the outdoor scene wear or hold hats., Philadelphia on Stone, POSP 162, Library of Congress: LOC DLC/PP-1997:105 Queen prints and drawings (C size) - 55 prints Fashions Spring Summer 1855
- Date
- c1855
- Location
- Library of Congress | Prints and Photographs Division LOC DLC/PP-1997:105 Queen prints and drawings (C size) - 55 prints Fashions Spring Summer 1855
- Title
- Shankland's American fashions for the fall & winter of 1854 & 5, 100 Chestnut St. Philadelphia
- Description
- Fashion advertisement containing two panels of 24 elegantly attired men, women, and children in outdoor settings. Lower panel captioned "Baltimore" includes nine men, two boys, and a woman socializing by the riverside. Upper panel captioned "Philadelphia" includes eight men and four boys. The men wear winter coats, capes, jackets, vests, bow ties, and tapered pants. Many of the pants are adorned with rows of buttons, embroidery or stripes. The woman, her hair in pin curls, wears a shirtwaist, skirt, and feathered cap, and the boys wear jackets, coats, long pants, and caps, including one lad with a fez. All of the men's attire is accessorized with tops hats and/or canes and they wear facial hair, beards, mustaches, or mutton chops. Cityscape is visible in the background of both panels. Figures numbered 1-12, lower panel and 12-24, upper panel. Also contains border with geometrical design with the bottom edge appearing as a rolled-up scroll., Not in Wainwright., Artist's initials lower and center left., Copyrighted by John R. Shankland., Philadelphia on Stone, Library of Congress: PGA - Duval--Shankland's American fashions...1854 & 5 (D size) [P&P]
- Creator
- Clay, Edward Williams, 1799-1857, artist
- Date
- c1854
- Location
- Library of Congress | Prints and Photographs Division LOC PGA - Duval--Shankland's American fashions...1854 & 5 (D size) [P&P]
- Title
- Philadelphia, Paris & New-York fashions, for spring & summer 1854
- Description
- Fashion advertisement containing two panelled scenes of 20 elegantly attired men, women, and children in a parlor and outdoor setting. Upper panel shows the parlor scene. Eight men, a woman, and a boy socialize in clusters of three and four. The men and boy wear suits, many with paisley-patterned pants, and the woman wears a patterned dress with full skirt and tassels as well as a bonnet. A large mirror on a stand, several chairs, and chaise lounges furnish the room decorated with carpet, drapery, and wallpaper. Lower panel shows the outdoor scene set before "The New Masonic Temple, Chestnut St., Phila." Six men, including clothing store proprietor Francis Mahan, two girls , a boy, and a woman stand on the street block. Four of the men wear suits, including one with an overcoat. Another man, with a girl in a skirt and bloomers standing at his side, wears a hunting oufit and holds a rifle. The woman comprises part of a couple attired in riding outfits who are flanked by a boy dressed in a suit, a girl wearing a skirt and bloomers, and the man with the overcoat. Most of the men wear mutton chops, including three with mustaches., Philadelphia on Stone, POS 546, LOC copy uncolored., Library of Congress: PGA - Duval--Paris, New York & Philadelphia fashions (D size) [P&P] Fashions Spring Summer 1854
- Date
- c1854
- Location
- Library of Congress | Prints and Photographs Division LOC PGA - Duval--Paris, New York & Philadelphia fashions (D size) [P&P] Fashions Spring Summer 1854
- Title
- [Portrait of an unidentified African American woman]
- Description
- Bust-length, forward facing portrait of a seated, African American woman whose eyes look to the right. Sitter has long, dark hair, parted in the middle, crimped, and looped behind her ears. She wears hoop earrings and a dark-colored, long-sleeved, silk dress with a white collar and cravat. A small, decorative button or brooch is pinned in the center of the collar. Sitter is probably a member or acquaintance of the Dickerson Family of Philadelphia., Title supplied by cataloger., Pad: Faded red velvet with a single swirled feather design., Mat: Oval., Leather. Geometric design with a crosshatched oval surrounded by ovals, each of which has a flower in the center. Same design on verso., Gift of Mary P. Dunn, 1993., Lib. Company. Annual report, 1993, p. 17-24., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
- Date
- [ca. 1855-ca. 1860]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Cased photos - Dickerson Family Collection [P.9427.8]
- Title
- [Portrait of an unidentified African American girl]
- Description
- Three-quarter length, forward facing portrait of an African American girl seated on a chair with an ornate, wooden back. Sitter has long, dark hair, parted in the middle, crimped, and tied in pig tails. She is attired in a dark-colored, short-sleeved dress with white lace decorating the cuffs. She clasps her hands together slightly and rests them at her waist. Her cheeks are tinted pink. Sitter is probably a member or acquaintance of the Dickerson Family of Philadelphia., Title supplied by cataloger., Pad: Faded red velvet with fleur de lis in center surrounded by scrolls., Mat: Oval., Case: Leather. Geometric design with a six pointed star within a shield flanked by banners. Same design on verso., Lib. Company. Annual report, 1993, p. 17-24., Reproduced on cover and on page 44 of Julie Winch's The Elite of our people (University Park: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2000)., Gift of Mary P. Dunn, 1993., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
- Date
- [ca. 1855-ca. 1860]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Cased photos - Dickerson Family Collection [P.9427.9]
- Title
- [Portrait of an unidentified African American woman]
- Description
- Three-quarter length, forward facing portrait of a seated, African American woman. Sitter has dark hair that is parted in the middle and combed close to and tied back behind her head. She is attired in a long-sleeved, button down, plaid dress with ruffles at the cuffs and wears a matching, round, brooch necklace and earrings. She rests her right forearm on a table and her hands, forming slight fists, rest in her lap. Her cheeks and lips are tinted pink. Sitter is probably a member or acquaintance of the Dickerson Family of Philadelphia., Title supplied by cataloger., Pad: Faded red velvet. Fleur de lis in center surrounded by scrolls., Mat: Nonpareil., Case: Leather. Geometric design featuring a six-pointed star within a shield flanked by banners. Same design on verso., Gift of Mary P. Dunn, 1993., Lib. Company. Annual report, 1993, p. 17-24., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
- Date
- [ca. 1855-ca. 1860]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Cased photos - Dickerson Family Collection [P.9427.7]
- Title
- [Portrait of an unidentified African American woman]
- Description
- Three-quarter length, forward facing portrait of a seated, African American woman. Sitter has long, dark hair, parted in the middle, and looped behind her ears. She is attired in a dark-colored, long-sleeved, silk dress with a white lace collar, and black lace, fingerless gloves. A broach adorns her collar. She rests her left forearm on a table covered in a patterned cloth. A book lies on the table. The sitter’s left hand rests on her lap. Her lips are tinted pink. Sitter is probably a member or acquaintance of the Dickerson Family of Philadelphia., Title supplied by cataloger., Pad: Dark purple velvet with a scroll design in the center., Mat: Oval., Case: Square thermoplastic. On recto is a leaf design surrounded by scrolls. This design is #3-128 reproduced in Paul K. Berg's nineteenth century photographic cases and wall frames (Huntington Beach, Ca. 92647: Huntington Valley Press, 1995.) The design on the verso is a bunch of grapes, #2-25 in Berg's book., Gift of Mary P. Dunn, 1993., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Lib. Company. Annual report, 1993, p. 17-24.
- Date
- [ca. 1850-ca. 1860]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Cased photos -Dickerson Family Collection [P.9427.16]
- Title
- [Portrait of an unidentified African American woman]
- Description
- Half-length, forward facing portrait of a seated African American woman posed behind a prop window frame. Sitter rests her left elbow and right hand on the bottom edge of the frame. Her left hand rests on her shoulder, near the side of her face. She has dark, crimped hair, parted in the middle and that is pulled back into a braided crown at the back of her head. She is attired in a dark-colored, satiny dress with a plunging V-neck and that is adorned with a frilled ribbon and long sleeves with ruching below the shoulder. She also wears a white V-neck collar adorned with a broach, frilled white cuffs, hoop earrings, and a ring on her right hand. Her cheeks and lips are tinted pink. Image also includes a creeping grape vine in the right of the image. Sitter probably from or related to the Dickerson Family of Philadelphia., Title supplied by cataloger., Date inferred from photographic format and attire of sitter., Sitter's cheeks tinted pink., Name of daguerreotypist inferred from studio prop (window and trailing vine) visible in image., Pad: Bright red velvet with a scroll design., Mat: Oval., Case: Leather. A large floral spray with a lily and leaves, surrounded by an ornate scrolled border. Geometric design on verso., Gift of Mary P. Dunn, 1993., Library Company. Annual Report, 1993, p. 17-24., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
- Creator
- Broadbent, Samuel, 1810-1880, photographer
- Date
- [ca. 1850]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department cased photos [P.9427.13]
- Title
- [Portrait of an unidentified woman]
- Description
- Three-quarter length, forward facing portrait of a seated, African American woman. Sitter has long, dark hair, parted in the middle, and looped behind her ears. She is attired in a dark-colored, long-sleeved, silk dress with a white lace collar, and black lace fingerless gloves. A broach adorns her collar. She rests her left forearm on a table covered in a patterned cloth. A book lies on the table. The sitter’s left hand rests on her lap. Her lips are tinted pink. Sitter is probably a member or acquaintance of the Dickerson Family of Philadelphia., Title supplied by cataloger., Date inferred by sitter's attire., Pink tinting on lips., Pad: Deep purple velvet without a design., Mat: Oval., Case: Leather. Small vase of flowers in the center surrounded by ornate decorations. The"Flower Vase" design is reproduced as Plate 146 in Floyd and Marion Rinhart's American miniature case art (Cranbury, New Jersey: A. S. Barnes and Co., Inc., 1969.) Geometric design on verso., The die-engraver's name is below the design in reverse, and properly reads A[nthony] C. Paquet., Gift of Mary P. Dunn, 1993., Lib. Company. Annual report, 1993, p. 17-24., Reproduced on page 45 of Julie Winch's The Elite of our people (University Park: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2000), Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
- Date
- [ca. 1850]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Cased photos - Dickerson Family Collection [P.9427.11]
- Title
- Philadelphia fashions fall & winter 1847 by Samuel A. Ward & Asahel F. Ward, no. 62 Walnut St
- Description
- Fashion advertisement containing two panelled scenes of 19 elegantly attired men and women in a parlor and outdoor setting. Upper panel shows the parlor scene with 8 men and two women socializing. Most of the men wear suits with striped or plaid pants, long coats tapered at the waist, and bow ties. Some hold top hats and canes. The women wear a bonnet, shirtwaist, and full skirt or a riding habit. Furnishings include a marble pedestal, and mosaic carpeting and wallpaper. Lower panel shows General Zachary Taylor and two military officers, in uniforms and mounted on horses, flanked by 6 male civilians in front of a military training ground. All the plain-clothed men wear top hats, striped or checkered pants, and overcoats or capes. Background includes calvary troops on drill and a cannon. Most of the depicted men are clean-shaven or have mustaches. Key numbered 1-10 and 11-19 printed below the figures., Not in Wainwright., Copyrighted by S. A. & A. F. Ward., Philadelphia on Stone, POSP 174, Gift of David Doret.
- Creator
- French, John Taylor, 1822-1852, artist
- Date
- c1847
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department **BW - Fashion [P.2007.28.29]
- Title
- [Unidentified young African American woman]
- Description
- Full-length portrait of a young African American woman standing and resting her left hand on the balustrade behind her. She wears her hair tied behind her head and is attired in a fur cap and a long-sleeved dress which has large, decorative buttons that are placed in the middle and run the length of the dress flanked on either side with pleated ruffles with two rows of ruffles around the base of the skirt. In the right is a table covered in a tablecloth and a drape which hangs down., Title supplied by cataloger., Photographer's imprint including vignette and business advertisement stamped on verso., Purchase 2001., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., 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., Parlor Galleries operated at 523 South 9th Street from 1876 to 1885.
- Creator
- Parlor Gallery (Firm), photographer
- Date
- [ca. 1881]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department cdv portraits – photographer – Parlor [P.9900.12]
- Title
- Life in Philadelphia. A crier extraordinary
- Description
- Racist caricature of an African American town crier performing his duties in front of a storefront on a busy Philadelphia street. The crier, attired in worn clothing and a yellow straw hat, holds up his bell in his right hand and the sheet of news down with the other. He calls out the upcoming events, including sales of merchandise, a "sarmont on Temperance," and a "Colored Ball at Mrs. Johnsons." His attire includes a blue jacket, striped shirt with patches, a red cravat, white pants with patches, and black shoes. Several spectators listen, including an African American belle, attired in a striped, hooded cape over a dress with floral details; an African American street boy, attired in a worn jacket, vest, and pants and holding a broken mug; a white boy peddler, attired in a smock and boots and with his wares on a tray over his shoulder; and a white shopkeeper holding a cloth work in his hands as his stands in his store's doorway. The peddler boy walks a dog that has torn the crier's copy of the news. Drapery hangs in the store’s display window. Black figures are depicted with oversize and exaggerated features. White figures are depicted with exaggerated features., Signed W.S. for William Summers in lower right corner., Title from item., Date inferred from content and name of publisher., Contains five lines of dialogue in the vernacular below the image: Sale dis nite_Frying Pans_Grid Irons_Book_Oyster Knives and odder kinds of Medicines_Joe Williams will hab some fresh oysters at his stablishment_by tickler design, Mr. Hewlet will gib Imitations ober again_two or tree damaged Discussion Locks, and Rebd. Mr. P.Q. will deliver a sarmont on Temperance, half past 6 o’Clock precise, dats not all! Widout Money or Price _ de great Bull Phillip will be station at Squire S__s & dats not all nudder! dare will be a perlite & Colored Ball at Mr. Johnsons jus arter dis is bin done”_, Charles Hunt was a respected 19th century London engraver and etcher known mostly for his prints of sporting subjects., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., Purchase 1968.
- Creator
- Summers, William, artist
- Date
- [ca. 1833]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in Philadelphia (London Set) [7689.F]
- Title
- Life in Philadelphia. Dark conversation
- Description
- Circa 1833 racist caricature about the "disagreeableness" of the growing community of middle-class African Americans in Philadelphia. Depicts an African American man greeting an African American man-woman couple on a windy street corner, near the shop of a print dealer and where several fashionably-attired African American men and women are walking and standing. A river is visible below. In the left, the solitary man dressed in equestrian costume, including a white riding hat, green coat, and white ruffled shirt, holds a walking cane and comments about the "Black looking day." He extends a snuff box, with his ungloved left hand, to the man who is a part of the couple. The man, attired in a blue waistcoat and black pants, accepts the box with his ungloved right hand while holding a green umbrella under his left arm. He agrees about the stormy condition and that "De Blacks flying about so make it Petickly Disagreable." His woman partner, stands beside him and with her right hand under the elbow of his extended arm. She is attired in a white bonnet and a white shawl over a pink long-sleeved dress. She also wears white gloves, holds a black purse in her right hand, and her bonnet is adorned with a feather that blows in the breeze. Behind them, the African American men and women on promenade are similarly attired in waistcoats and pants; equestrian costume; and long-sleeved dresses and bonnets. Shadowy depictions of several prints are visible in the print dealer’s large display store window. Also shows in the far right, a river, bridge, and landscape. Figures are portrayed with oversize and exaggerated features and their skin tone is depicted with black hand coloring., Title from item., Date inferred from content and name of publisher., Charles Hunt was a respected 19th century London engraver and etcher known mostly for his prints of sporting subjects., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- Summers, William, artist
- Date
- [ca. 1833]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in Philadelphia (London Set) [P.9710.1]
- Title
- Life in Philadelphia. The new shoes
- Description
- Racist caricature depicting an African American woman trying on shoes at "Sambo Paley Boots & Shoe Manufacturer." In the left, the woman, seated on a chair, looks down at her slightly raised left foot on which an African American clerk has placed a black slip-on shoe. Her removed yellow shoe rests beside her feet. She is attired in a yellow bonnet adorned with feathers and with a white veil that frames her face like long straight hair, a red puff sleeve dress, and a yellow slip-on shoe. She slightly raises her dress with her left ungloved hand to appear at her shoe and holds a green parasol to the floor with her gloved right hand. A blue and yellow purse hangs from her right wrist. The clerk kneels in front of her and holds her left foot. He is attired in a striped shirt, neck tie, brown vest, brown pantaloons, white stocking and red slipper shoes. The woman states the shoe "is sich a bery dirty color" and does he not have any white or pink ones. The clerk replies that it may not be "handsome" to look at, but surely a "good color to wear." In the background, an African American man, attired in shirt sleeves and an apron, possibly the bootmaker, shines a boot behind a counter and in front of a row of boots and shoes on a cabinet. A brush and can of boot black rest on the counter. A sign reading “Sambo Paley Boots & Shoe Manufacturer. The Best Jet Blacking Sold Here" hangs above the man’s head. In the far left, shoes hang inside the store’s window and visible through the shop’s doorway, a well-dressed African American man and woman walk past in the street. The man wears a top hat and waistcoat and the woman wears a yellow bonnet and puff sleeve dress. Scene also shows pairs of boots resting on the floor across from the kneeling clerk in the right. Figures are portrayed with oversized and exaggerated features and their skin tone is depicted in black hand coloring., Title from item., Date inferred from content and name of publisher., Inscribed: No. 3., P.2016.45.1 trimmed., Charles Hunt was a respected 19th century London engraver and etcher known primarily for his prints of sporting subjects., P.2016.45.1 gift of Dr. Richard Dunn & Dr. Mary Maples Dunn., Digital image depicted is P.9710.3., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- Summers, William, artist
- Date
- [ca. 1833]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in Philadelphia (London Set) [P.9710.3 & P.2016.45.1]
- Title
- Life in Philadelphia. A crier extraordinary
- Description
- Racist caricature of an African American town crier performing his duties in front of a storefront on a busy Philadelphia street. The crier, attired in worn clothing and a yellow straw hat, holds up his bell in his right hand and a sheet of news down with the other. He calls out the upcoming events, including sales of merchandise, a "sarmont on Temperance," and a "Colored Ball at Mrs. Johnsons." His attire includes a blue jacket, striped shirt with patches, a red cravat, white pants with patches, and black shoes. Several spectators listen, including an African American belle, attired in a striped, hooded cape over a dress with floral details; an African American street boy, attired in a worn jacket, vest, and pants and holding a broken mug; a white boy peddler, attired in a smock and boots and with his wares on a tray over his shoulder; and a white shopkeeper holding a cloth work in his hands as his stands in his store's doorway. The peddler boy walks a dog that has torn the crier's copy of the news. Drapery hangs in the store’s display window. African American figures are depicted with oversize and exaggerated features. White figures are depicted with exaggerated features.., Title from item., Date inferred from content and name of publisher., Contains five lines of dialogue in the vernacular below the image: Sale dis nite_Frying Pans_Grid Irons_Book_Oyster Knives and odder kinds of Medicines_Joe Williams will hab some fresh oysters at his stablishment_by tickler design, Mr. Hewlet will gib Imitations ober again_two or tree damaged Discussion Locks, and Rebd. Mr. P.Q. will deliver a sarmont on Temperance, half past 6 o’Clock precise, dats not all! Widout Money or Price _ de great Bull Phillip will be station at Squire S__s & dats not all nudder! dare will be a perlite & Colored Ball at Mr. Johnsons jus arter dis is bin done”_, Charles Hunt was a respected 19th-century London engraver and etcher known mostly for his prints of sporting subjects., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- Summers, William, artist
- Date
- [ca. 1833]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in Philadelphia (London Set) [P.9710.11]
- Title
- Amy Smith, April 17, 1876
- Description
- Half-length portrait of Smith, a young African American woman, posed to the left. She looks forward toward the viewer. She wears a plaid-patterned garment, a white, upturned collar, and a bowtie-like ribbon at her neck. Her hair is pulled back and she wears a hair band. Smith, born in Virginia resided in Philadelphia by 1870. Smith was buried at the Harmony Burial Ground, the burial ground of the African Friends to Harmony at 41st and Chestnut Street in West Philadephia. African Friends, founded in 1826, sought to provide a cemetery for low-income African Americans to be interred with dignity and respect. Several of those buried in the cemetery were associated with the Monument Baptist Church or the Mount Pisgah A.M.E. Church. The property was sold in 1910. In 2020, the remains of over 160 burials were transferred to Eden Cemetery., Title from manuscript note on mount., Photographer's imprint printed on verso., Printed on verso: No. [57860]. Duplicated any time if orderd by the original, or by a responsible person., Manuscript note on verso: died March 23d 1878., Partially purchased with funds for the Visual Culture Program., RVCDC
- Creator
- Reimer, Benjamin F., approximately 1826-1899, photographer
- Date
- [1876]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department cdv portraits - sitter - Smith [P.2023.17.1]
- Title
- Philadelphia fashions, spring & summer 1843, by S. A. & A. F. Ward, no. 62 Walnut St
- Description
- Fashion advertisement containing two panelled scenes of 15 elegantly attired men, women, and children in a parlor and outdoor setting. Upper panel shows the parlor scene. Two men, one showing his back, attired in suits, top hats in hand, greet each other in front of a sofa. A man and woman in lavish bed coats in front of a vanity dresser look over their two boys attired in jackets and pantaloons as they read a book on an ottoman. A man in a checkered vest sits with a flute in his hand as a man in striped pants, standing near a writing table, and showing his back, addresses him. Also includes framed paintings, mosaic carpeting, and wallpaper trim. Lower panel shows the outdoor scene. A lad wearing a cap, suit, and holding a cane greets a fashionable couple on a hillside that is lined with a picket fence, bushes, and trees. The man wears a suit and top hat and holds a cane, and the lady wears a bonnet and capelet, and holds a handkerchief. In the center, a militiaman in the Uniform of the Richmond Light Blues "copied by permission of Huddy & Duval" stands on a path in front of a mansion house. To the left, a hunting party with a dog convenes near a hitching post scratched with initials. The men wear hats of various styles, long coats, and checkered and dark pants. Each has a handkerchief in an upper or lower coat pocket and one carries a rifle and hunting bag. Most of the depicted men have some facial hair. Key numbered 1-8 and 9-15 printed above and below the image., Not in Wainwright., Philadelphia on Stone, POSP 177, Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Bc 642 W 263c 1843
- Creator
- Weaver, Matthias S., 1815 or 16-1847, artist
- Date
- [ca. 1842]
- Location
- Historical Society of Pennsylvania HSP Bc 642 W 263c 1843
- Title
- Life in Philadelphia. "Have you any flesh coloured silk stockings...?"
- 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 right, the woman standing at the counter in front of the clerk who holds up a pair of gray-colored stockings from out of a rectangular box. She is attired in a pink floral patterned dress, as well as tall, wide-brimmed pink hat adorned with several flowers, greenery, and a veil and long yellow ribbon, and yellow gloves, earrings, and blue button-up boots. She rests her yellow, flower-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 red parasol rests against the counter. Rows of red, blue, and yellow stockings hang on the wall behind the clerk. The clerk is attired in a blue waistcoat with tails, a yellow vest, red cravat, and white pants. In the right, an African American woman attired in a yellow polka dot dress and tall, wide brimmed yellow hat adorned with ribbons is seen in the doorway of the shop in which multi-colored curtains hang and are pushed to the side. The wheel of a carriage is seen behind the woman. The figures are portrayed with oversized and exaggerated features. The women’s skin tone is depicted with brown hand coloring. The man is depicted with rosy cheeks and brown, curled hair., Title from print., Date from print., Inscribed: Plate XI., Inscribed: Copy Right Secured., 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!, RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
- Creator
- Clay, Edward Williams, 1799-1857, etcher
- Date
- May 1829
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in Philadelphia (Philadelphia Set) [P.2004.39.1]
- Title
- Sketches of character. Plate 2. At home. Plate 3. Abroad
- Description
- Racist caricature contrasting two scenes of the same African American couple "At Home" and "Abroad." The "At Home" scene depicts the couple in their kitchen with a wood floor washing dishes together. In the right, the woman, attired in a kerchief, short sleeves, apron, skirt, and slip on shoes, is bent over and washes the dishes in a tub on a stool. In the left, the man, barefoot and attired in a shirt with the sleeves rolled up, vest, bow tie, and pants, sits on the edge of a butcherblock table on top of which a pile of dishes rests, and dries one. The man and woman look at each other. In the background, on the wall, cooking utensils, pots and pans, and a slab of bacon hang from hooks underneath a shelf lined with cook and dishware near a large woven basket, a cupboard, and a small shelf with two bottles. The "Abroad" scene depicts the pair well attired and about to promenade down a city street, possibly Philadelphia and from near Independence Hall. The woman wears a large plumed bonnet with a veil and a ribbon tied under her chin, a blue cape over a dress giving her the appearance of a bell, and gaiter-like shoes. Her husband wears spectacles, a top hat, white shirt, yellow vest, black waist coat, grey pants, and yellow gloves. He holds a walking cane down toward the ground in his left hand and his other arm out to his companion. A guardhouse is seen in the right and the edge of a building (possibly Independence Hall) in the left. Cityscape is visible in the distant background. Figures are portrayed with oversized and exaggerated features and their skin tone is depicted in brown hand coloring., Title and date from item., Copy right secured., Lib. Company. Annual Report, 2013, p. 51., Purchased with the Davida T. Deutsch African American History Fund., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- Clay, Edward Williams, 1799-1857
- Date
- January 12, 1830
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in Philadelphia (Philadelphia Set) [P.2013.74]
- Title
- Sketches of character. Plate 2. At home. Plate 3. Abroad
- Description
- Racist caricature contrasting two scenes of the same African American couple "At Home" and "Abroad." The "At Home" scene depicts the couple in their kitchen with a wood floor washing dishes together. In the right, the woman, attired in a kerchief, short sleeves, apron, skirt, and slip on shoes, is bent over and washes the dishes in a tub on a stool. In the left, the man, barefoot and attired in a shirt with the sleeves rolled up, vest, bow tie, and pants, sits on the edge of a butcherblock table on top of which a pile of dishes rests, and dries one. The man and woman look at each other. In the background, on the wall, cooking utensils, pots and pans, and a slab of bacon hang from hooks underneath a shelf lined with cook and dishware near a large woven basket, a cupboard, and a small shelf with two bottles. The "Abroad" scene depicts the pair well attired and about to promenade down a city street, possibly Philadelphia and from near Independence Hall. The woman wears a large plumed bonnet with a veil and a ribbon tied under her chin, a blue cape over a dress giving her the appearance of a bell, and gaiter-like shoes. Her husband wears spectacles, a top hat, white shirt, yellow vest, black waist coat, grey pants, and yellow gloves. He holds a walking cane down toward the ground in his left hand and his other arm out to his companion. A guardhouse is seen in the right and the edge of a building (possibly Independence Hall) in the left. Cityscape is visible in the distant background. Figures are portrayed with oversized and exaggerated features and their skin tone is depicted in brown hand coloring., Title and date from item., Copy right secured., Lib. Company. Annual Report, 2013, p. 51., Purchased with the Davida T. Deutsch African American History Fund., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- Clay, Edward Williams, 1799-1857
- Date
- January 12, 1830
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in Philadelphia (Philadelphia Set) [P.2013.74]
- Title
- Life in Philadelphia. "Have you any flesh coloured silk stockings...?"
- 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 right, the woman standing at the blue and pink counter in front of the clerk who holds up a pair of gray-colored stockings from out of a rectangular box. She is attired in a pink floral patterned dress, as well as tall, wide-brimmed blue hat adorned with several flowers, greenery, and a veil and long yellow ribbon, yellow gloves, earrings, and blue button-up boots. She rests her blue, flower-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 brown parasol rests against the counter. Rows of stockings, including in the color of blue, hang on the wall behind the clerk. The clerk is attired in a green waistcoat with tails, a yellow vest, red cravat, and white pants. In the right, an African American woman attired in a yellow polka dot dress and tall, wide brimmed hat adorned with blue ribbons is seen in the doorway of the shop in which blue curtains hang and are pushed to the side. The wheel of a carriage is seen behind the woman. The figures are portrayed with oversized and exaggerated features. The women’s skin tone is depicted with black hand coloring. The man is depicted with rosy cheeks and brown, curled hair., Title from print., Date inferred from content., Inscribed: Plate XI., Inscribed: Copy Right Secured., Probably published by Sarah Hart of 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!, RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
- Creator
- Clay, Edward Williams, 1799-1857, etcher
- Date
- [ca. 1830]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in Philadelphia (Philadelphia Set) [P.9701.9]
- Title
- Life in Philadelphia. "Have you any flesh coloured silk stockings...?"
- 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 right, the woman standing at the blue and white counter in front of the clerk who holds up a pair of brown-colored stockings from out of a rectangular box. She is attired in a pink floral patterned dress, as well as tall, wide-brimmed pink hat adorned with several flowers, greenery, and a veil and long yellow ribbon, white gloves, earrings, and tan button-up boots. She rests her white, flower-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 green parasol rests against the counter. Rows of stockings, including in the color of blue and pink, hang on the wall behind the clerk. The clerk is attired in a tan waistcoat with tails, a white vest, purple cravat, and purple pants. In the right, an African American woman attired in a blue polka dot dress and tall, wide brimmed hat adorned with ribbons is seen in the doorway of the shop in which purple and white curtains hang and are pushed to the side. The wheel of a carriage is seen behind the woman. The figures are portrayed with oversized and exaggerated features. The women’s skin tone is depicted with black hand coloring. The man is depicted with dark brown, curled hair., Title from item., Date inferred from content., Plate 11 of the original series published in Philadelphia., After the work of Edward W. Clay., Possibly by New York lithographer Curtis Burr Graham (1814-1890)., 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!, RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
- Date
- [ca. 1830]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in Philadelphia (New York Set) [P.9701.10]
- Title
- A dead cut
- Description
- Racist caricature portraying a middle-class African American man-woman couple as snobs who slight a working-class African American man shoeshiner and former acquaintance. Depicts the African American shoeshiner greeting the African American couple who feign ignorance of the man's acquaintance after their return from "de Springs." The laborer, attired in a rumpled top hat, torn overcoat with tails, and patched pants holds his rod of boots in his left hand, and uses his right one to grab the hand of "Cesa." "Cesa," dressed in a flat-top cap, and heavy, long overcoat with handkerchief in the pocket, and plaid pants, looks suspiciously at their joined hands. He holds a walking stick and his companion's parasol in his other hand. He states that the shoeshiner has mistaken his identity (You must be mistaking in de person black man!). His companion, her hand around his elbow, and dressed in a Dunstable bonnet, dark-colored overcoat, and button-down shirtwaist with a collar, agrees. With her hand placed on her hip and holding a purse, she declares, "What does the imperdent nigger mean?" Figures are depicted with oversize and exaggerated features., Title from item., Publication information from duplicate in collection and advertisement in the Philadelphia Inquirer, December 30, 1829, p. 3. Advertised as entitled "A Dead Cut, or an attempt to slight old Acquaintance.", Nancy Reynolds Davison's E.W. Clay: American political caricaturist of the Jacksonian Era (PhD. diss., The University of Michigan, 1980), p. 80-81. (LCP Print Room Uz, A423.O)., Sarah Hart was a Jewish Philadelphia fancy goods store owner and printseller who with her son future Philadelphia publisher Abraham Hart, assumed publication of the "Life in Philadelphia" series in 1829. Sarah Hart solely reprinted the entire series of 14 prints in 1830. She also published complementary in subject lithographs after the work of Clay during the same period., Described in the Daily Chronicle, December 26, 1829, p. 2., Accessioned 1893., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
- Creator
- Clay, Edward Williams, 1799-1857, etcher
- Date
- [1829]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | PRINT. Life in Philadelphia (Philadelphia Set) [5656.F.39]
- Title
- A dead cut
- Description
- Racist caricature portraying a middle-class African American man-woman couple as snobs who slight a working-class African American man shoeshiner and former acquaintance. Depicts the African American shoeshiner greeting the African American couple who feign ignorance of the man's acquaintance after their return from "de Springs." The laborer, attired in a rumpled top hat, torn overcoat with tails, and patched pants holds his rod of boots in his left hand, and uses his right one to grab the hand of "Cesa." "Cesa," dressed in a flat-top cap, and heavy, long overcoat with handkerchief in the pocket, and plaid pants, looks suspiciously at their joined hands. He holds a walking stick and his companion's parasol in his other hand. He states that the shoeshiner has mistaken his identity (You must be mistaking in de person black man!). His companion, her hand around his elbow, and dressed in a Dunstable bonnet, dark-colored overcoat, and button-down shirtwaist with a collar, agrees. With her hand placed on her hip and holding a purse, she declares, "What does the imperdent nigger mean?" Figures are depicted with oversize and exaggerated features., Title from item., Publication information from duplicate in collection and advertisement in the Philadelphia Inquirer, December 30, 1829, p. 3. Advertised as entitled "A Dead Cut, or an attempt to slight old Acquaintance.", Nancy Reynolds Davison's E.W. Clay: American political caricaturist of the Jacksonian Era (PhD. diss., The University of Michigan, 1980), p. 80-81. (LCP Print Room Uz, A423.O)., Sarah Hart was a Jewish Philadelphia fancy goods store owner and printseller who with her son future Philadelphia publisher Abraham Hart, assumed publication of the "Life in Philadelphia" series in 1829. Sarah Hart solely reprinted the entire series of 14 prints in 1830. She also published complementary in subject lithographs after the work of Clay during the same period., Described in the Daily Chronicle, December 26, 1829, p. 2., Accessioned 1893., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
- Creator
- Clay, Edward Williams, 1799-1857, etcher
- Date
- [1829]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | PRINT. Life in Philadelphia (Philadelphia Set) [5656.F.39]
- Title
- Life in Philadelphia. The lub letter
- Description
- Racist caricature depicting an African American woman reading a love letter. Depicts "Angelica” seated on a couch across from an end table on which a stationery box, ribbon, and a jar of ink rest as she reads her "billet-doux" addressed to “Miss Lillywhite, Snow Blackfriars." The couch has a wood frame and blue cushions. “Angelica” is attired in a pink cap-sleeved dress with lace details at the bust-line, blue, ankle-laced, slip-on shoes, and jewelry, including a heart-shaped pendant choker necklace, gold drop earrings, and rings. She wears her hair in a top knot and with a hair adornment. In the letter, “Augustus Octavio Whiteman” proclaims he cannot think of anything but her "classic features" and he would be "de Blackest ob villains" if he could see such "lubliness without feeling its influence." Figure of “Angelica” is portrayed with oversized and exaggerated features and her skin tone is depicted in black hand coloring., Title from item., Date inferred from content and name of publisher., Contains several lines of dialogue in the vernacular in the image: Ah! A billet-doux from my Charming Augustus/ My Fairest Angelica/Dy Slender form and Classic Features hab made sich an impression on my poor heart dat I cannot tink ob anything else. Indeed I must be de Blackest of Villains if I could see sich lubliness widout feeling its Influence as de Song says_”Eye ob fire lips ob Dew” “Cheeks dat shame the roses hue”/Tremain your Adorable Lubber Augustus Octavio Whiteman., Inscribed: No. 4., Charles Hunt was a respected 19th century London engraver and etcher known mostly for his prints of sporting subjects., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- Summers, William, artist
- Date
- [ca. 1833]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in Philadelphia (London Set) [P.9710.4]
- Title
- Life in Philadelphia. "Have you any flesh coloured silk stockings...?"
- 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., Title from item., Date inferred from content and name of publisher., After the work of Edward W. Clay., 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.
- Date
- [ca. 1833]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in Philadelphia (London) [P.9710.9]
- Title
- Life in Philadelphia. "Have you any flesh coloured silk stockings...?"
- 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., Title from item., Date inferred from content and name of publisher., After the work of Edward W. Clay., 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.
- Creator
- Summers, William, artist
- Date
- [ca. 1860]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in Philadelphia (London) [P.9713.2]
- Title
- Life in Philadelphia. Romeo and Juliet
- Description
- Racist caricature depicting an African American man-woman couple in the characters of Romeo and Juliet during the balcony scene from Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." In the right, "Romeo" wearing an Elizabethan costume including a plumed white hat, red cape, and white sash, holds his right, gloved hand over his heart and his left, ungloved hand out and holding the edge of his cape. He recites, "How silver sweet sounds Lubbers Tongues by Night, like sorpest Music to attending Ears." In the left, from the balcony, "Juliet" responds with the self-derogatory remark that as her complexion is "de mark of night" it is impossible to see that "a maiden blush bepaint" on her cheek. She is attired in a pink puffed sleeve, décolleté dress, earrings, a necklace, and hair adornment. She holds a glove and fan in her right gloved hand at her side and her left hand rests on the balustrade of the balcony. A rose vine climbs up the balcony and the tops of trees and a balustrade are visible behind “Romeo.” Figures are portrayed with oversized and exaggerated features and their skin tone is depicted in black hand coloring., Title from item., Date inferred from content and name of publisher., Contains two lines of dialogue in the vernacular below image: Romeo: How silber sweet, sounds Lubbers Tongues by Night; like sorptest Music to attending Ears./Juliet: Dou know’st de mask ob night is on my face, else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek., Signed W.S. for William Summers in lower right corner., Charles Hunt was a respected 19th century London engraver and etcher known mostly for his prints of sporting subjects., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- Summers, William, artist
- Date
- [ca. 1860]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in Philadelphia (London Set) [P.9713.4]
- Title
- Life in Philadelphia. Sketches of character: At home. Abroad
- Description
- Racist caricature contrasting two scenes of the same African American couple "At Home" and "Abroad." The "At Home" scene depicts the couple in their kitchen with a wood floor washing dishes together. In the right, the woman, attired in a striped kerchief, short sleeves, apron, skirt, and slip on shoes, is bent over and washes the dishes in a tub on a stool. In the left, the man, barefoot and attired in a shirt with the sleeves rolled up, red vest, bow tie, and pants, sits on the edge of a butcherblock table on top of which a pile of dishes rests, and dries one. The man and woman look at each other. In the background, on the wall, cooking utensils, pots and pans, and a slab of bacon hang from hooks underneath a shelf lined with cook and dishware near a large woven basket, a cupboard, and a small shelf with two bottles. The "Abroad" scene depicts the pair well attired and about to promenade down a city street, possibly Philadelphia and from near Independence Hall. The woman wears a large plumed black and yellow bonnet with a veil and a ribbon tied under her chin, a blue cape over a red dress giving her the appearance of a bell, and gaiter-like shoes. Her husband wears spectacles, a top hat, red-striped shirt, vest, green waist coat, brown pants, and grey gloves. He holds a walking cane down toward the ground in his left hand and his other arm out to his companion. A guardhouse is seen in the right and the edge of a building (possibly Independence Hall) in the left. Cityscape is visible in the distant background. Figures are portrayed with oversized and exaggerated features and their skin tone is depicted in brown hand coloring., Title from item., Date inferred from content and name of publisher., Inscribed: Pl. 10., After plate by E.W. Clay originally printed by C.G. Childs and published by Clay in Philadelphia in 1830., Charles Ingrey was one of the premier London lithographic printers of the 1830s., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- Harrison, H., artist
- Date
- [ca. 1833]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in Philadelphia (London Set) [P.9716]
- Title
- Tregears black jokes. The Lady Patroness of Alblacks
- Description
- Racist caricature depicting a middle-class African American woman looking at herself in a full-length mirror in her well- decorated bedroom. Shows the woman, attired in a white, low décolleté underdress with puffed, cap sleeves, slightly lifting up the skirt of her dress in her left hand and her raised right hand holding a comb near her hair that is styled in a top knot. She looks at her reflection. She is portrayed with a wrinkled brow and bags under her eyes. Her reflection does not have these features. In the right, a bed with a canopy on which a wide-brimmed hat rests on a post; a table on which a pin pad, hair comb, pearl necklace, and earrings rest; and a black cat with its back raised are visible. In the left, on either side of the mirror, a pink dress rests on a clothing rack and white ankle-lace shoes lie on the carpeted floor. Scene also includes three framed picture on the wall in the background. Two are partially visible and the one fully visible shows a genre scene outside of a stone dwelling where an African American man is on his knee and holding the hand of an African American woman who stands in front of him. Figure is portrayed with oversized and exaggerated features and her skin tone is depicted in black hand coloring., Title from item., Date inferred from content and name of publisher., Inscribed: No. 2., This caricature is similar in content to the prints from the series, "Life in Philadelphia" (London Set), and has been catalogued as a part of the series., Charles Hunt was a respected 19th century London engraver and etcher known mostly for his prints of sporting subjects., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- Summers, William, delineator
- Date
- [ca. 1834]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia PRINT | Print Department Life in Philadelphia (London Set) [P.9719]
- Title
- The Philadelphia dandies. A group of fashionables. "Shoot folly as it flies."
- Description
- Caricature lampooning "fashionable" middle-class Philadelphians depicting two scenes of “belles” being greeted. The first scene portrays a white belle, in the right, being greeted by a white dandy, in the left, who holds up a monocle in his left hand and asks, "How do you do?" They are each bent over and face each other. The dandy is attired in a white ruffled shirt, blue waistcoat, tan pants, and grey boots with spurs. He holds down a black top hat from which a cane hangs in his right hand. The belle is attired in a large green bonnet that curves at the back of her head and that is adorned with feathers and a ribbon, a pink, long-sleeved, knee-length, belle-shaped dress, and boots. She holds a green umbrella up in her right hand toward the raised arm of the dandy and the back of her dress has risen up. A pug-like jumps up and barks at her from behind. She responds that she is “rather cold.” The second scene depicts a white belle being greeted by a "fashionable" white woman and girl whose hand she holds. The women and girl are all similarly attired in large bonnets adorned with flowers, long-sleeved, high waisted, calf-length dresses in pink or green, and boots or ankle-laced shoes. They are also portrayed with stooped postures and accentuated posteriors. The woman with the child also holds a pink purse in the same hand as that of the girl who also wears pantalettes and holds a green parasol in her left hand. A third woman wearing a mortarboard style hat adorned with feathers, a long-sleeved, calf-length, high-waisted dress with under skirt, and boots, holds a spear-shaped umbrella over her shoulder and "marches" passed them in the right. Also, shows a pug-like dog standing in the left by the women who greet each other., Title from item., Date inferred from content., Contains two bubbles of dialogue within image of first scene: How do you do? How do you do? Madam! How is it with you today? It is rather Cold, sir!-, This caricature is similar in content to the prints from the series, "Life in Philadelphia" (London Set), and has been catalogued as part of the series., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- Kensett, Thomas, 1786-1829, engraver
- Date
- [ca. 1820-ca. 1830]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in Philadelphia (London Set) [P.9720]
- Title
- Life in Philadelphia. "Have you any flesh coloured silk stockings...?"
- 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 blue 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 yellow floral patterned dress, as well as tall, wide-brimmed floral-patterned hat adorned with yellow flowers, greenery, and a veil and long floral-patterned ribbon, white gloves, earrings, and white button-up boots. She rests her pink, 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 brown parasol rests against the counter. Rows of red, blue, brown, black, 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 pink polka dot dress and tall, wide brimmed hat adorned with a veil and green ribbons is seen in the doorway of the shop in which 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., Title from item., Date inferred from content and name of publisher., After the work of Edward W. Clay., 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!, 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.
- Date
- [ca. 1831]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in Philadelphia (London) [P.9707.3]
- Title
- A dead cut
- Description
- Racist caricature portraying a middle-class African American man-woman couple as snobs who slight a working-class African American man shoeshiner and former acquaintance. Depicts the African American shoeshiner greeting the African American couple who feign ignorance of the man's acquaintance after their return from "de Springs." The laborer, attired in a rumpled top hat, torn overcoat with tails, and patched pants holds his rod of boots in his left hand, and uses his right one to grab the hand of "Cesa." "Cesa," dressed in a flat-top cap, and heavy, long overcoat with handkerchief in the pocket, and plaid pants, looks suspiciously at their joined hands. He holds a walking stick and his companion's parasol in his other hand. He states that the shoeshiner has mistaken his identity (You must be mistaking in de person black man!). His companion, her hand around his elbow, and dressed in a Dunstable bonnet, dark-colored overcoat, and button-down shirtwaist with a collar, agrees. With her hand placed on her hip and holding a purse, she declares, "What does the imperdent nigger mean?" Figures are depicted with oversize and exaggerated features., Sarah Hart was a Jewish Philadelphia stationer who assumed printing of the "Life in Philadelphia" series in 1829. She reprinted the entire original series of 14 prints in 1830., Pendelton, Kearny, & Childs, in operation from 1829 until 1830, was the first successful lithographic firm in Philadelphia. The firm's partners were John Pendleton, Frances Kearny, and Cephas G. Childs., Nancy Reynolds Davison's E.W. Clay: American Political Caricaturist of Jacksonian America (PhD. diss., The University of Michigan, 1980), p. 80-81. (LCP Print Room Uz, A423.O)., Described in Daily Chronicle, December 26, 1829, 2 and “The Dead Cut,” Philadelphia Inquirer, December 31, 1829, 2., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Acquired in 1970.
- Creator
- Clay, Edward Williams, 1799-1857, etcher
- Date
- 1829
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in Philadelphia (Philadelphia Set) [7893.F.1]
- Title
- Life in Philadelphia. A black charge
- Description
- Racist caricature depicting a courtroom scene where an African American man magistrate hears the case of an African American man detained for drunkenness and "-sulting de Fair sec." In the left, the judge who has one foot wrapped and raised on a foot rest sits at a table and holds a glass of liquid with a spoon in it near a bottle and corkscrew. He has a receding hairline, wears glasses, and is attired in a blue waistcoat, tan vest, white shirt and bowtie, black pantaloons, and a black shoe with a buckle. He states that the detainee has put a "Fair Face" on the matter, but "appearances are bery Black" against him. In the right, the hiccupping detainee, who is attired in a worn, striped shirt and blue jacket, and white patched pants is held by his jacket by an African American man constable attired in a brown robe with yellow details and black slip on shoes with buckles. He holds a staff in his right hand. The detainee explains to the judge that he is innocent and that all he did was ask to "scort a lady home." Next to the judge stands an African American man secretary, attired in a dark jacket and white shirt and bow tie. He stands with a quill in his hand in front of a ledger, ready to write down the testimony. Figures are depicted with oversize and exaggerated features. Their skin tone is depicted with black hand coloring., Title from item., Date inferrred from content and name of publisher., Contains three dialogue bubbles above the image: Please y-r Worship I hab taken up dis Nigger!! case he’s -nebriated and -sulting to de Fair sec./Well, young man, you seem to put a bery, Fair Face, on the matter. But, I can assure you, Appearances, are bery Black, against you. What hab you to say, to de Charge./It wasn’t me yr (hiccup) Honor. Dis old Black Beadle kick’d up (hiccup) all de Row case I asked bebe to scort a Lady home., Charles Hunt was a respected 19th century London engraver and etcher known mostly for his prints of sporting subjects., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- Summers, William, artist
- Date
- [ca. 1833]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in Philadelphia (London Set) [P.9710.5]