Cartoon mocking Nicholas Biddle, president of the controversial Bank of the U.S., as a corrupt emperor of finance served by New York's financial district. Depicts a self-effacing Biddle on the steps of a bank delivering a speech to a large crowd of his obsequious cheering subjects comprised of bankers and brokers. Two men, possibly New York editors accused of accepting bribes in return for publishing pro-Bank articles, Charles King and/or Mordecai Manual Noah and/or James W. Webb, hoist him on their knees. Biddle declares that he will bear the burden of the attacks of the Bank opponents as those before him will acquit him of scandal. In the far left background, a group of men describe Biddle as a monster and allude to his dubious relationship with New York merchant Silas E. Burrows, who was accused of bribing Noah and Webb. Contains a fabricated verse below the image from the popular poem "The Devil's Walk," commonly misattributed to Robert Porson (as in the cartoon) about the faithless servility of Satan's subjects., Retrospective conversion record: original entry, edited.
Date
[1832?]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department political cartoons - 1832-18W [5760.F.50]
