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- Title
- Speech of Andrew Johnson Governor Andrew Johnson's speech to the colored people of Nashville on the 24th ultimo, already noticed, is fully reported by a correspondent of the Cincinnati Gazette, who says
- Description
- Broadside contains extracts from Johnson's speech with commentary; Johnson made the "Moses speech" on October 24, 1864., Digitized by Alexander Street Press for Images of the American Civil War.
- Date
- [1864?]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | BOOKS RARE sm# Am 1864 Joh 71708.O
- Title
- You love the contrabands too much
- Description
- A white man kneels before a racistly depicted African- American man. The African-American man stands on a pedestal and has wings. "Contraband" here means "slave," and the sender rejects the recipient because of his sympathy for slaves. L. Prang & Co. first appeared in the Boston city directory in 1863., Text: You love the contrabands too much / To have love left for me, / And therefore you my Valentine / Can never hope to be., "18", Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
- Date
- [1863-1865?]
- Title
- The results of abolitionism!
- Description
- Cartoon reflecting the fear among Northern white workers of job competition with free African Americans. Depicts African American men bricklayers, portrayed in racist caricature and speaking in vernacular, on a construction site giving orders to white laborers in a reversal of roles. The laborers work on a large multi-storied brick building fronted by scaffolding and a ladder. The African American supervisors hold trowels and stand at the top of the scaffolding. They hurl orders and abuse at white workers exclaiming: "Bring up the mortar you white rascals" and "You bog-trotters, come along with them bricks." An African American man standing on the ground, attired as a dandy, exclaims, "White man hurry up them bricks." A white man climbs the ladder and two white men work on the ground shoveling and picking up bricks. Another white man stands and says, "Sambo hurry up the white laborers.", Title from item., Date inferred from content., Originally part of American political caricatures, likely a scrapbook, accessioned 1899. Collection primarily comprised of gifts from Samuel Breck, John A. McAllister, and James Rush., RVCDC, 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 the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
- Date
- [ca. 1835]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *Political Cartoons - 1835 - Res [5780.F.1]
- Title
- I'm not to blame for being white, sir!
- Description
- Critical satire portraying the humanitarian sympathies of Massachusetts senator and abolitionist Charles Sumner as hypocritical toward whites. Depicts a well-dressed Sumner walking down a city street. He has stopped to hand coins to a barefoot, African American child carrying a basket. A white girl, attired in torn and worn clothes, carries sticks and holds out her hand to him, as well. Behind Sumner, two young white women witness the scene., Title from item., Publication information supplied by Weitenkampf., Probably drawn by Dominique C. Fabronius., Lib. Company. Annual report, 1972, p. 63., Purchase 1972., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Digitized by Alexander Street Press for Images of the American Civil War., 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.
- Date
- [1862]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Political Cartoons - 1862-11 [8033.F.2]
- Title
- To a Black Republican.
- Description
- A Union soldier holds a rifle with a bayonet while embracing an African-American woman. His actions cause the woman to spill the liquid in the bottle she carries on a platter. Her dress is turned up to reveal her crinoline and legs. Behind them, an African American man holds his fist up., Text: You nasty, Black Republican, / To hug the sooty African, / How sweet to you her stench must seem, / When the day Star reigns reigns surpreme; -- / That she's your equal in your creed, / To Niggerdom then quickly speed, / For such a filthy kin to swine / Shall never be my Valentine., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
- Date
- [1861-1865?]
- Title
- Philadelphia fashions, 1837
- Description
- Racist cartoon depicting middle class African American Philadelphians used to arouse Northern anti-Black fears that well-to-do African Americans threatened the racial status quo. Depicts a physically attractive and elegantly dressed African American man and woman couple who have stopped during a stroll. The woman, attired in a large bonnet, elegant gown, and holding a parasol asks in the vernacular, "What you look at Mr. Frederick Augustus?" The man, attired in a suit, a top hat, and holding a walking cane in one hand and a monocle to his eye with the other answers, "I look at dat White loafer wot looks at me. I guess he from New York." The man and woman also each wear broaches depicting portraits. The couple are possibly prominent African American Philadelphians Frederick Augustus Hinton and Elizabeth Willson Hinton., Title from item., Date from copyright statement: Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1837, by H.R. Robinson in the Clerk's Office of the Dist Court of the U.S. of the Southern District of N. York., Due to the similar content of this caricature to the prints from the series, "Life in Philadelphia," the lithograph has been catalogued as a part of the series., Purchase 1958., RVCDC, 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., E.W. Clay (1799-1857), born in Philadelphia, was a prominent caricaturist, engraver, and lithographer who created the "Life in Philadelphia" series which racially lampooned middle-class African American Philadelphians of the late 1820s and early 1830s.
- Creator
- Clay, Edward Williams, 1799-1857, artist
- Date
- 1837
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Political Cartoons - 1837 - Phi [6281.F]
- Title
- The two platforms
- Description
- Racist poster attacking radical Republican support of African American suffrage by comparing the platforms of Democratic candidate and white supremacist Heister Clymer and radical Republican candidate John White Geary during the 1866 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election. Depicts the side-by-side bust portraits of a white man titled "Clymer's Platform is for the White Man" and an African American man, portrayed in racist caricature with grotesque features, titled "Geary's Platform is for the Negro." Contains three lines of text above the image which reference the other "Radical" Republican candidates who support "Negro Suffrage" and two lines below which declares "Read the Platforms. Congress says, the Negro must be allowed to vote, or the states be punished.", Title from item., Date of publication supplied by Reilly., RVCDC, Purchase 1998., 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.
- Date
- [1866]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *Political Cartoons - 1866-8 [9387.F]
- Title
- Life in Philadelphia (London)
- Description
- Collection of social caricatures lampooning the pretensions of early 19th-century middle-class Philadelphians, mainly the city's growing community of free African Americans. Influenced by an increasing fascination with American culture and a growing racism stemming from the abolition of slavery in England, the African American characters are depicted with grotesque features and manners, wearing outlandish clothes, and speaking in patois and malapropisms to be portrayed as ineptly attempting to mimic white high society. Subject matter of the caricatures include absurd scenes of courtship and displays of etiquette on the street, at residences, at society balls, and in allegory; fashion; promenades; the abolition of slavery; the election of President Andrew Jackson; tea parties; and depictions of African Americans at work., British reprint of E.W. Clay's "Life in Philadelphia" series with ten of the original fourteen prints redrawn by William Summers, etched with aquatint by Charles Hunt, and published by Harrison Isaacs in London in the early 1830s. W.H. Isaacs continued issuing the prints altering the original content of the series by adding new subjects and removing the white caricatures. Around 1833 engraver and print seller, Gabriel Shire Treager assumed the publication of the series and added six new subjects creating a series of twenty. In 1834, Tregear published a similar series of caricatures in book form without the "Life in Philadelphia" moniker entitled, "Tregear's Black Jokes, being a Series of Laughable Caricatures in the March of Manners amongst Blacks." In 1860, London publisher T. C. Lewis reissued the series of twenty prints. Variants of prints from the series and additional caricatures with similar content; "The Cut Direct," "Sketches of Character. At Home and Abroad," "Philadelphia Dandies," and "The Lay Patroness of Alblacks" have been included as a part of the series., LCP AR [Annual Report] 1967 p. 51-53., LCP AR [Annual Report] 1968 p. 18-20., Nancy Reynolds Davison's E.W. Clay: American Political Caricaturist of the Jacksonian Era (PhD. diss., The University of Michigan, 1980), p. 85-100. (LCP Print Room Uz, A423.O)
- Creator
- Summers, William, artist
- Date
- ca. 1831-ca. 1860, bulk 1831-1834
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in Philadelphia (London Set)
- Title
- No. 5 The duel
- Description
- Fifth scene in a racist series of African American caricatures originally created for Harper's Weekly in 1878 by Sol Eytinge that satirized the courtship and marriage of and the start of families by "The Twins." The African American figures are depicted with exaggerated features and mannerisms. Scene shows two African American men (i.e., the suitors of the twins), attired in suits, at the start of a duel in a pasture between two trees. The suitor with a squat figure is in the right and the tall suitor in the left. They point guns at each other and look aghast. An African American man (witness), attired in a ruffled suit and hat, stands behind the tree in the foreground and another, in shirtsleeves, kneels behind the tree in the background. “Dr. Black M.D.,” an older African American man, sits behind the standing observer with his medical bag, labeled “Dr. Black M.D.,” in one hand and a medicine bottle in the other. Figures representing the twins are visible in the distant left background near their log cabin., Title from item., Publication information from copyright statement in other reproduced drawings in series: Copyrighted 1881 John McGreer, Chicago, Ill., Name of publisher from other reproduced drawings in series: Cartoon Printing Co., Name of artist stamped on verso: McGreer Chicago., Purchased with the Davida T. Deutsch African American History Fund., Lib. Company. Annual Report, 2017, p. 52., RVCDC, Desciption revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- McGreer, John, 1839-1908
- Date
- 1881
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department photo - 5 x 7 - Unid. - Events [P.2017.26.5]
- Title
- No. 9 Coming events
- Description
- Ninth scene in a racist series of African American caricatures originally created for Harper's Weekly in 1878 by Sol Eytinge that satirized the courtship and marriage of and the start of families by "The Twins." The African American figures are depicted with exaggerated features and mannerisms. Shows "Dr. Black MD" on his donkey racing with the twins' husbands on their donkeys down a dirt road along a river. A raft sails on the river past a log cabin and a dwelling with smoke-spewing chimneys is visible in the background., Title from item., Name of publisher inscribed in original drawing., Date from copyright statement inscribed in original drawing: Copyrighted 1881 John McGreer, Chicago, Ill., Name of artist from stamp on verso: McGreer Chicago., Purchased with the Davida T. Deutsch African American History Fund., Lib. Company. Annual Report, 2017, p. 52., RVCDC, Desciption revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- McGreer, John, 1839-1908
- Date
- 1881
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department photo - 5 x 7 - Unid. - Events [P.2017.26.8]
- Title
- Superstitious Chinese children covering their faces to avoid being photographed
- Description
- Photograph depicting a Chinese man and four Chinese children on a platform at the entrance of the Chinese Pavilion at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis. Shows a boy standing with his back to the viewer, wearing a queue hairstyle and attired in a red cap, a blue shirt and pants, and blue cloth slip-on shoes. In the left, the boy, attired in a blue cap, a pink shirt and pants, and blue cloth slip-on shoes, sits on a chair and looks to the left. Beside him, a seated young girl, wearing a pink bow in her hair and attired in a pink shirt and pants, and blue cloth slip-on shoes, covers her face with both of her hands. In the right, a child, attired in a dark blue shirt, blue pants, and blue cloth slip-on shoes, sits and raises their arm and hands to cover their face. In the left behind the children, a Chinese man, attired in a conical hat, a dark blue shirt and pants, and cloth slip-on shoes, stands and holds possibly a torch. A white man, wearing a mustache and attired in a white collared shirt and a gray suit, stands and faces the viewer. A green dragon with its mouth open decorates the platform. A decorative wooden railing is visible along the background. The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, also known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was held from April 30 to December 1, 1904 in commemoration of the centennial of the Purchase. More than 60 countries and 43 of the American states displayed exhibits at the fair, which was attended by 19.7 million people. The Chinese Pavilion included a theater, a temple, a tea house, a bazaar, and a reproduction of the summer home of Prince Pu Lun, the Imperial Commissioner. In the Chinese Village were Chinese merchants, mechanics, painters, waiters, silk weavers, musicians, performers, and children. The children were set at the entrance of the concession to attract visitors., Green mount with rounded corners., Title printed on mount., Date inferred from content and date of event., Text printed on verso: In the Chinese Village there were nine little Chinese children who were shrewdly employed at the entrance to the concession as a drawing feature and who attracted great crowds of people. The youngest child was but three years old. Both parents lived in the village as merchants. The favorite with the visitors was Fanny Moy, the seven-year old daughter of the village druggist. She possessed a sweet voice and spoke English almost without any foreign accent. The largest boy, nine years old, was an accomplished musician and took also a prominent part in the theatrical performances. The children were under government inspection, and physicians detailed from the army service looked after their physical welfare, while a returned missionary instructed them in English. Each child was under a bond of $500 to secure their safe return to China after the exposition., Gift of Linda Kimiko August.
- Creator
- Ingersoll, T. W. (Truman Ward), 1862-1922
- Date
- 1904
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department stereos – misc. – Ingersoll [P.2023.43.6]
- Title
- Effect of the Fifteenth Amendment Indignant mother, "Cum in out of dat mud right straight! Fust ting you'll know you'll be took for Irish chil'en!"
- Description
- Photographic reproduction of a drawing after a racist cartoon published in Harper's Bazar in 1871 alluding to the social and political tensions between Irish and African American people following passage of the right to vote amendment. Shows an African American woman, a broom in one hand, her other hand on her hip, at her front porch, watching her two sons playing in the dirt. The woman is portrayed in racist caricature and speaks in the vernacular. She has a rotund figure and is attired in a head kerchief, a button-down shirt, an ankle-length skirt, and an apron. Her children make a mud pie beside the porch and in front of a tall wooden fence. Another African American boy, attired in a broad-rimmed hat and slipper-like shoes too large for his feet, sits and balances himself on the fence. View also includes a dust pan, the edge of a bench, and a tall weed near the mother's feet., Title from item., Date inferred from similar cartoon published in Harper's Bazar, March 4, 1871., Purchased with the Davida T. Deutsch African American History Fund., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
- Date
- 1871
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department photos - 5 x 7 - unidentified - Events [P.2015.29]
- Title
- Practical amalgamation
- Description
- Racist print promoting anti-abolitionists' fears of multiracial personal relationships. Depicts a parlor scene where two inter-racial couples court on a couch. In the left, an attractive white women sits on the lap of an African American man. The man, depicted in racist caricature with grotesque facial features, holds a guitar in his right hand as she engages him in a kiss. In the right, a rotund African American woman holds a fan in her right hand as she is wooed by a slender white man on his knees who kisses her left hand. Portraits of abolitionists Arthur Tappan, Daniel O'Connell (a radical Irish abolitionist), and John Quincy Adams are hung on the wall behind the couch. A white and black dog are in the left corner., Title from item., After E.W. Clay's Practical amalgamation (New York: Published and sold by John Childs, Lithographer, 119 Fulton Street, upstairs, 1839]., Purchase 1970., RVCDC, 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 the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
- Date
- 1839
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Political Cartoons - 1839 - Pra 2 [7897.F]
- Title
- Practical amalgamation
- Description
- Racist print promoting anti-abolitionists' fears of multiracial personal relationships. Depicts a parlor scene where two interracial couples court on a couch. In the left, an attractive white women sits on the lap of an African American man. The man, depicted in racist caricature with grotesque facial features, holds a guitar in his right hand as she engages him in a kiss. In the right, a rotund African American woman holds a fan in her right hand as she is wooed by a slender white man on his knees who kisses her left hand. Portraits of abolitionists Arthur Tappan, Daniel O'Connell (a radical Irish abolitionist), and John Quincy Adams are hung on the wall behind the couch. A white and black dog are in the left corner., Title from item., First of a series of five., Lib. Company. Annual Report, 2015, p. 41., Purchase 1957., RVCDC, 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 the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014., Clay, born in Philadelphia, was a prominent caricaturist, engraver, and lithographer who created the "Life in Philadelphia" series which satirized middle-class African-Americans of the late 1820s and early 1830s.
- Creator
- Clay, Edward Williams, 1799-1857, artist
- Date
- 1839
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Political Cartoons - 1839-Pra 1 [6207.F]
- Title
- The Salt River gazette---extra, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 1867 The Great Negro Party--born, 1856--died Oct. 8, 1867
- Description
- Cartoon publicizing the death of the "Great Negro Party" (i.e., Republican Party) as a result of the defeat of several Republican candidates to Democrats in the Philadelphia local elections of 1867. Depicts a series of racist captioned vignettes and caricatures. Includes the head of an African American man above a coffin inscribed with the life and death dates of the party (1856-Oct. 8, 1867); “a Scene at the Broad St. League House” depicting a white man minister forced to perform an interracial marriage between a white woman and an African American man; and a scene entitled "The Work of Congress repudiated by the People" showing an African American man lounging and watching white men labor to pay their taxes. Also includes an African American man dandy commenting in the vernacular on his making electors sick "dis time"; and a scene titled "Statue to be erected in front of the Union League House" showing the sculpture of an older African American woman on a ragged horse. The African American dandy caricature originally appeared as an illustration titled "S.S. Sanford in One of his Great Delineations of Ethiopian Character" in "Our Day," an 1860 circular that advertised his Sanford Opera House. The statue caricature originally appeared in the "Original Comicalities" section of the June 1854 edition of "Graham's Magazine" and was titled "Woolly Equestrian Statue of the late Mrs. Joyce Heth." Mrs. Heth, an early attraction of P.T. Barnum from 1835 until 1836, claimed that she was over 100 years old and a nanny to George Washington., Title from item., Date inferred from content., Originally part of McAllister scrapbooks of views of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania views and political miscellany. McAllister Collection, gift, 1886., RVCDC, 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 the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
- Date
- [1867]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department political cartoons - 1867-1W [5759.F; (2)1322.F.77]
- Title
- No. 1. The flirtation
- Description
- First scene based on a racist series of African American caricatures originally created for Harper's Weekly in 1878 by Sol Eytinge that satirized the courtship and marriage of and the start of families by "The Twins." The African American figures are depicted with exaggerated features and mannerisms. Scene shows the African American twins greeting two African American men. They depart from the gate of their log cabin home, attired in polka dot dresses, aprons, and turned-up brimmed hats. They smile at the two African American men as they begin their walk. One twin lifts her handkerchief. One of the men is tall and thin and he tips his hat. The other is shorter and squat and has a hand on his chest. The men are attired in suits with striped pants that are hemmed high. The twins' log cabin home with their parent's seeing them off is visible in the left background. Background also includes the log cabin with "Dr. Black’s Office"; the town church; a "Dry Goods and Clothing” store; a "Saloon"; and a "Hotel.”, Title from item., Name of publisher from other photographs in series., Date from copyright statement on original drawing: Copyrighted 1881 John McGreer, Chicago, Ill., Name of artist stamped on verso: McGreer Chicago., Purchased with the Davida T. Deutsch African American History Fund., Lib. Company. Annual Report, 2017, p. 52., RVCDC, Desciption revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- McGreer, John, 1839-1908
- Date
- 1881
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department photo - 5 x 7 - Unid. - Events [P.2017.26.1]
- Title
- No. 2 The introduction
- Description
- Second scene based on a racist series of African American caricatures originally created for Harper's Weekly in 1878 by Sol Eytinge that satirized the courtship and marriage of and the start of families by "The Twins." The African American figures are depicted with exaggerated features and mannerisms. Scene shows the “twins,” side-by-side, curtseying to their two male suitors (one tall and one squat) who stand across the parlor. The tall one bows with his hat in hand. The suitors’ mother, portrayed with a face with many wrinkles and attired in a polka dot dress, stands between the pairs. The room is adorned with a table that holds a vase of flowers, an album, and a glass. Framed pictures, including a portrait, as well as a cuckoo clock adorn the walls near a window with a partially rolled-up window shade. The twins are attired in polka dot dresses and the men in suits., Title from item., Inscribed on original drawing: Remodeled from sketch in Harpers Weekly., Date from copyright statement in other photographs in series: Copyrighted 1881 John McGreer, Chicago, Ill., Name of artist stamped on verso: McGreer Chicago., Name of publisher from other photographs in series., Purchased with the Davida T. Deutsch African American History Fund., Lib. Company. Annual Report, 2017, p. 52., RVCDC, Desciption revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- McGreer, John, 1839-1908
- Date
- 1881
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department photo - 5 x 7 - Unid. - Events [P.2017.26.2]
- Title
- No. 3 The courting
- Description
- Third scene in a racist series of African American caricatures originally created for Harper's Weekly in 1878 by Sol Eytinge that satirized the courtship and marriage of and the start of families by "The Twins." The African American figures are depicted with exaggerated features and mannerisms. Scene shows the twins and their suitors, seated in an open room with a stove by a mantle. In the left, one twin sits face to face with her tall suitor. She looks down and raises her hand to her mouth. In the right, the other twin sits next to her suitor and smiles. The twin holds a fan to her face. A hat and coat hang on the wall above them. The twins' parents watch from a doorway in the left background. The twins are attired in polka dot dresses and the men in suits., Title from item., Inscribed on original drawing: Reproduced from sketch by Sol Eytinge from Harpers Weekly., Date from copyright statement in other photographs in series: Copyrighted 1881 John McGreer, Chicago, Ill., Name of artist stamped on verso: McGreer Chicago., Name of publisher inscribed on original drawing., Purchased with the Davida T. Deutsch African American History Fund., Lib. Company. Annual Report, 2017, p. 52., RVCDC, Desciption revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- McGreer, John, 1839-1908
- Date
- 1881
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department photo - 5 x 7 - Unid. - Events [P.2017.26.3]
- Title
- No. 4 The proposal
- Description
- Fourth scene in a racist series of African American caricatures originally created for Harper's Weekly in 1878 by Sol Eytinge that satirized the courtship and marriage of and the start of families by "The Twins." The African American figures are depicted with exaggerated features and mannerisms. Scene shows the twins and their suitors, seated in an open room with a stove by a mantle. The tall suitor of the twin in the left kneels on the floor, his chair fallen behind him, and proposes to her as he holds her right hand. She covers her mouth with the other. The twin of the couple in the right sits on her suitor’s lap as he holds her. Her foot rests on his hat on the floor, and she holds a fan down on her legs. The parents of the twins, an older couple, stand, their mouths ajar, in an open entryway in the left background. Keepsakes and knick knacks adorn the mantle behind the stove. A coat and hat hang above the couple in the right. The twins are attired in polka dot dresses and the men in suits., Title from item., Date from copyright statement inscribed on original drawing: Copyrighted 1881 John McGreer, Chicago, Ill., Name of artist stamped on verso: McGreer Chicago., Name of publisher from other photographs in series., Purchased with the Davida T. Deutsch African American History Fund., Lib. Company. Annual Report, 2017, p. 52., RVCDC, Desciption revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- McGreer, John, 1839-1908
- Date
- 1881
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department photo - 5 x 7 - Unid. - Events [P.2017.26.4]
- Title
- No. 6 The wedding
- Description
- Sixth scene in a racist series of African American caricatures originally created for Harper's Weekly in 1878 by Sol Eytinge that satirized the courtship and marriage of and the start of families by "The Twins." The African American figures are depicted with exaggerated features and mannerisms. Shows the twins getting married in the parlor in which they were introduced to their fiancés (see No. 2 The Introduction). The twins are attired in white wedding dresses and veils and their betrothed in formal suits. An older African American reverend stands in front of them and officiates. Their relatives, including an older woman, attired in a bonnet, and seated in a rocker and holding in her lap a boy, attired in a striped suit with ruffled collar, watch the nuptials from behind them. "Dr. Black" and other acquaintances watch from through a doorway. Framed pictures adorn the wall. A table with a cake and a decanter with glasses is visible behind the reverend., Title from item., Name of publisher inscribed on original drawing: Cartoon Printing Co. Chicago., Date from copyright statement in other photographs in series: Copyrighted 1881 John McGreer, Chicago, Ill., Name of artist stamped on verso: McGreer Chicago., Purchased with the Davida T. Deutsch African American History Fund., Lib. Company. Annual Report, 2017, p. 52., RVCDC, Desciption revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- McGreer, John, 1839-1908
- Date
- 1881
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department photo - 5 x 7 - Unid. - Events [P.2017.26.6]
- Title
- No. 8 Return from the honeymoon tour
- Description
- Eighth scene in a racist series of African American caricatures originally created for Harper's Weekly in 1878 by Sol Eytinge that satirized the courtship and marriage of and the start of families by "The Twins." The African American figures are depicted with exaggerated features and mannerisms. Shows the twins and their husbands in fashion-forward attire promenading down the street of their small town. In the right, an older man in the stance of the minstrel character of Jim Crow, and an older woman attired in a bonnet, polka dot dress, and apron, and leaning on a tree laugh at the couples as they approach them. From a distance, "Dr. Black" watches them from astride his donkey. Townscape, including a storefront with signage reading “Groceries” and “Watchin Dun Hyar,” as well as a “Eatin House” and saloon is visible in the background. Figures are visible in the windows of the grocery store., Blackface minstrelsy is a popular entertainment form, originating in the United States in the mid-19th century and remaining in American life through the 20th century. The form is based around stereotypical and racist portrayals of African Americans, including mocking dialect, parodic lyrics, and the application of Black face paint; all designed to portray African Americans as othered subjects of humor and disrespect. Blackface was a dominant form for theatrical and musical performances for decades, both on stage and in private homes. Jim Crow (mid to late 19th century) was a Minstrel character representing enslaved/rural Black manhood as foolish, lazy, interested in shirking labor., Title from item., Inscribed on original drawing: Reproduced from sketch in Harpers Weekly by the Cartoon Printing Co. Chicago., Date from copyright statement in other photographs in series: Copyrighted 1881 John McGreer, Chicago, Ill., Name of artist from stamp on verso: McGreer Chicago., Description of Blackface minstrelsy and minstrel character from Dorothy Berry, Descriptive Equity and Clarity around Blackface Minstrelsy in H(arvard) T(heater) C(ollection) Collections, 2021., Purchased with the Davida T. Deutsch African American History Fund., Lib. Company. Annual Report, 2017, p. 52., RVCDC, Desciption revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- McGreer, John, 1839-1908
- Date
- 1881
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department photo - 5 x 7 - Unid. - Events [P.2017.26.7]
- Title
- No. 10 The event Or where "2 pair is better than 4 of a kind"
- Description
- Tenth scene in a racist series of African American caricatures originally created for Harper's Weekly in 1878 by Sol Eytinge that satirized the courtship and marriage of and the start of families by "The Twins." The African American figures are depicted with exaggerated features and mannerisms. Shows the tall husband of one of the twins, twin babies in hand, arriving at the home of the other twin and her husband after the birth of their twins. In the right, the twin lies in bed under the covers as “Dr. Black” turns to the entryway and prepares to give her a spoonful of medicine. Near them is the bed-ridden twins' husband, seated and feeding one baby twin a bottle as the other rocks in a cradle. To his right, the “grandmother,” attired in a bonnet, glasses, polka dot dress, and apron raises her hands in excitement as she greets the arriving husband of the twin's sister. A stool, framed pictures, and a sideboard adorn the room., Title from item., Name of publisher from other photographs in series., Date from copyright statement inscribed in original drawing: Copyrighted 1881 John McGreer, Chicago, Ill., Name of artist from stamp on verso: McGreer Chicago., Purchased with the Davida T. Deutsch African American History Fund., Lib. Company. Annual Report, 2017, p. 52., RVCDC, Desciption revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- McGreer, John, 1839-1908
- Date
- 1881
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department photo - 5 x 7 - Unid. - Events [P.2017.26.9]
- Title
- The meeting of the Friends. City Hall Park
- Description
- Cartoon portraying a distorted version of events surrounding New York Governor Horatio Seymour's "My Friend's" speech during the Draft Riots of 1863 when several African Americans were killed by working-class rioters. Portrays Seymour on the steps of City Hall in front of a riotous mob composed primarily of armed Irish-Americans who march past the building for "The Tribune," an anti-Seymour newspaper. Supporting Seymour from behind are a fool with a cap inscribed "Express" (i.e., a Pro-Seymour newspaper), and former Mayor Fernando Wood and Tammany boss Peter B. Sweeny, both "Copperhead" Democrats who advocated peaceful settlement with the South and who believed Republican philanthropy favored African Americans at the expense of working-class whites. Seymour placates the mob announcing that he is their friend and that he has ordered the President to stop the draft. At his feet is an African American with a noose around his neck. A white man holds the severed head of an African American man, and several more African Americans are seen hanging from trees in the background., Probably drawn by Henry L. Stephens., Title from item., Date inferred from content., Place of publication supplied by Reilly., Text printed below image: A friendly voice.—Governor, we want you to stay here. Horatio Seymour.—I am going to stay here, “My Friends.” Second Rioter.—Faith, and the Governor will stay by us. Horatio Seymour.—I am your “Friend,” and the “Friend” of your families. Third Rioter.—Arrah, Jemmy, and who said he cared about the “Dirty Nagurs”? Fourth Rioter.—How about the draft, Saymere? Governor.—I have ordered the President to stop the draft! Chorus.—Be Jabers, he’s a “Broth of a Boy.”, RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Digitized by Alexander Street Press for Images of the American Civil War., 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.
- Date
- [1863]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Political Cartoons - 1863-12 [P.2275.11]
- Title
- [Photographic reproductions of the Cartoon Printing Co. series after the 1878 Harper’s Weekly "Blackville" series “The Twins”]
- Description
- Photographic reproductions of drawings based on a racist series of African American caricatures originally created for Harper's Weekly in 1878 by Sol Eytinge that satirized the courtship and marriage of and the start of families by "The Twins." The African American figures are depicted with exaggerated features and mannerisms. Includes "No. 1 The Flirtation" showing the "Twins" meeting their suitors; "No. 2 The Introduction" showing the "Twins" being formally introduced to their suitors; "No. 3 The Courting" showing the "Twins" being courted together; "No. 4 The Proposal" showing the "Twins"suitors proposing to them in different manners; "No. 5 The Duel" showing the "Twins" suitors preparing to duel with guns; "No. 6. The Wedding" showing the "Twins" dual wedding; "No. 8 Return from the Honeymoon Tour" showing the "Twin" couples promenading in town; "No. 9 Coming Events" showing the town doctor and the husbands of the "Twins" racing down a dirt road on donkey back; and "No. 10 The Event Or Where '2 Pair is Better Than 4 of a Kind'"showing the arrival of the "Twins" twins., Title supplied by cataloger., Date from copyright statement on four of the original drawings in the series: Copyrighted 1881 John McGreer, Chicago, Ill., Name of artist stamped on versos: McGreer Chicago., Series missing No. 7. The Wedding Feast., Name of publisher inscribed on four of the original drawings in the series (No. 2-3, 6, and 9)., Inscribed on two of the original drawings in the series (No. 2 and 8): Remodeled from sketch in Harpers Weekly or Reproduced from sketch in Harpers Weekly by the Cartoon Printing Co. Chicago., Inscribed on one of the original drawings in the series (No. 3): Reproduced from sketch by Sol Eytinge in Harpers Weekly by the Cartoon Printing Co. Chicago., Purchased with the Davida T. Deutsch African American History Fund., Lib. Company. Annual Report, 2017, p. 52., John McGreer (1833-1905) was a dime museum painter, landscape artist, and cartoonist. He worked in Chicago after 1870 and was a partner in the novelty and satire printing firm Cartoon Printing Co., later Cartoon Publishing Co., by the early 1880s. In 1897, he patented statuettes of African American caricatures for use as cardholders. He resided in New York and was noted as a landscape artist at the time of his death in 1908., See Shawn Michelle Smith, Photography on the Color Line: W. E. B. DuBois, Race, and Visual Culture (Durham: Duke University Press, 2004), 82-86., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- McGreer, John, 1839-1908
- Date
- 1881
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department photo - 5 x 7 - Unid. - Events [P.2017.26.1-9]
- Title
- The great November contest. Patriotism vs bummerism
- Description
- Racist cartoon depicting the 1868 Presidential Election as a carriage race between the "patriotic" Democrats and the "bum" Republicans who support Reconstruction. Depicts the elegant Democratic carriage with the banner "This is a White Man's Government" pulled by the horses with the heads of Horatio Seymour and Francis P. Blair racing passed the stalled Republican wagon steered by the asses with the heads of nominees Ulysses Grant and Schuyler Colfax. In the Democrats' carriage are four allegorical figures: Liberty, depicted as a white woman holding the Constitution and a banner which reads "Our Glorious Union Distinct, like the Billows, One, Like the Sea' This is a White Man's Government!"; Navigation, depicted as a white woman holding a miniature ship; Agriculture, depicted as a white woman holding sheaves of wheat and a scythe; and Labor, represented by a bearded white man with a hammer and flywheel. The Republican wagon passengers include radical Thaddeus Stevens, the grim reaper, and an African American man and woman couple, portrayed in racist caricature and speaking in the vernacular. Massachusetts Republican representative Benjamin F. Butler tries to push the stalled wagon passed the bones of those who paid "The Price of Nigger Freedom" and the rocks of "Ruined Commerce," "Debt," and "Negro Supremacy.", In the background, a cheering crowd brandishing American flags near the U.S. Capitol await the winning Seymour and Blair while on the building's other side a group of African American men dance. In the left foreground, Henry Ward Beecher and Horace Greeley play a shellgame looking for Grant and an African American man and woman, attired in torn and worn clothes, discuss another man returning to his former enslaver. In the right foreground, an African American man sits behind a table labeled, "Pompey Smash, Salt River Line Ticket Agent" and sells tickets to "Salt River" (i.e., political disaster) to a white man with a bag labeled, "J.G.B. Boston Carpet Bagger." Behind them, two African American men and a drunken white man holding a bottle talk about the Republican wagon., Title from item., Date from copyright statement: Entered according to an Act of Congress in the year 1868 by Bromley & Co. in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the U.S. for the southern District of New York., Originally part of American political caricatures, likely a scrapbook, accessioned 1899. Collection primarily comprised of gifts from Samuel Breck, John A. McAllister, and James Rush., RVCDC, 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.
- Date
- 1868
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *Political Cartoons - 1868-15 [5760.F.125]
- Title
- Life in New York
- 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., 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.
- Date
- 1830-ca. 1834, bulk 1830
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in New York (New York Set)
- Title
- Life in New York. My name is Antonio Ceasa de Wilson..."
- Description
- Racist and sexist caricature exploiting a documented assault case reported as a lampoon in the September 30, 1829 edition of the "Morning Courier and New York Enquirer" about two African American men in an altercation over the intentions and handkerchief of "Miss Minta." In front of the left side of a police station counter attended by seven white men, "Antonio Cesea de Wilson" is being held back by his coat lapel by a white older man. The older man, attired in a waist coat and pantaloons, has a slight frown. Wilson, portrayed with wide, round eyes and a plain expression, and attired in a cravat, shirt, waistcoat, vest, and pants, stands with his feet apart and his left arm outstretched and his hand in a fist as his other arm is pulled back. He explains to the police how he came to the tussle with "Massa Sambo." On the right side of the counter, "Massa Sambo," portrayed with a plain expression, and attired in a ruffled shirt, cravat, waistcoat, and stirrup pants, stands and gestures behind him to Miss Minta." She holds a closed fan up in one hand and a parasol to the ground with the other. She is portrayed with a plain expression and wears her hair in a top knot and is attired in a long-sleeved, double-skirted dress with a check pattern and lace details, stockings, and slip on shoes. She looks in the direction of “Massa Sambo.” He explains that he is the receiver of the handkerchief and her rightful suitor. He has not only received her "witching glance" but has given her several gifts, including a lock of hair. The men, congregated behind the station's counter, include the magistrate recording the testimonies. The men are attired in waistcoats, shirts, and cravats. Many of the men laugh and, in the right, one reads a paper near shelves of ledgers. The African American figures are portrayed with oversize features., Title from item., Date inferred from content and name of publisher., Contains several lines of dialogue in dialect and the vernacular below the image: My name is Antonio Ceasa de Wilson, I have been paying a visit to Miss Araminta Arabella Tomson in de oyster cellar where she live, Where Massa Sambo come in and say “You have no business here” so I look at Miss Minta and she say I have, and this gentleman and me have a tussle. The handkerchief is not his, but one Miss Minta made a present of to me.”/I can assure you “that Miss Araminta did give me the witching glance, which told me as plain as eye could speak that I was the more welcome visiter, and as to the handkerchief, it is Miss Minta’s, and I have better right to it than this other gentleman, as I have presented to her, a scissor, a timble, and a lock of my hair.”, Anthony Imbert, a New York artist, was a pioneer of American lithography who was also known for his ability as a marine painter., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- Canova, Dominico, artist
- Date
- [ca. 1830]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in New York (New York Set) [P.9704.1]
- Title
- Life in New York. My name is Antonio Ceasa de Wilson..."
- Description
- Racist and sexist caricature exploiting a documented assault case reported as a lampoon in the September 30, 1829 edition of the "Morning Courier and New York Enquirer" about two African American men in an altercation over the intentions and handkerchief of "Miss Minta." In front of the left side of a police station counter attended by seven white men, "Antonio Cesea de Wilson" is being held back by his coat lapel by a white older man. The older man, attired in a waist coat and pantaloons, has a slight frown. Wilson, portrayed with wide, round eyes and a plain expression, and attired in a cravat, shirt, waistcoat, vest, and pants, stands with his feet apart and his left arm outstretched and his hand in a fist as his other arm is pulled back. He explains to the police how he came to the tussle with "Massa Sambo." On the right side of the counter, "Massa Sambo," portrayed with a plain expression, and attired in a ruffled shirt, cravat, waistcoat, and stirrup pants, stands and gestures behind him to Miss Minta." She holds a closed fan up in one hand and a parasol to the ground with the other. She is portrayed with a plain expression and wears her hair in a top knot and is attired in a long-sleeved, double-skirted dress with a check pattern and lace details, stockings, and slip on shoes. She looks in the direction of “Massa Sambo.” He explains that he is the receiver of the handkerchief and her rightful suitor. He has not only received her "witching glance" but has given her several gifts, including a lock of hair. The men, congregated behind the station's counter, include the magistrate recording the testimonies. The men are attired in waistcoats, shirts, and cravats. Many of the men laugh and, in the right, one reads a paper near shelves of ledgers. The African American figures are portrayed with oversize features., Title from item., Date inferred from content and name of publisher., Contains several lines of dialogue in dialect and the vernacular below the image: My name is Antonio Ceasa de Wilson, I have been paying a visit to Miss Araminta Arabella Tomson in de oyster cellar where she live, Where Massa Sambo come in and say “You have no business here” so I look at Miss Minta and she say I have, and this gentleman and me have a tussle. The handkerchief is not his, but one Miss Minta made a present of to me.”/I can assure you “that Miss Araminta did give me the witching glance, which told me as plain as eye could speak that I was the more welcome visiter, and as to the handkerchief, it is Miss Minta’s, and I have better right to it than this other gentleman, as I have presented to her, a scissor, a timble, and a lock of my hair.”, Anthony Imbert, a New York artist, was a pioneer of American lithography who was also known for his ability as a marine painter., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- Canova, Dominico, artist
- Date
- [ca. 1830]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in New York (New York Set) [P.9704.1]
- Title
- A five points exclusive taking the first steps towards the Last Polish
- Description
- Racist caricature depicting a group of middle-class African American women receiving a dance lesson at the "Bon Enfantfile Cross St. Saloon." Shows the four women in a semi-circle, looking at the white dance instructor, “Mr. Boeyfong,” in the right and one woman, in the center, looking at the viewer. Two of the women slightly pull up their skirts, one has her heels together and the other points her right foot. The women wear their hair in top knots, and all but one also wear hair adornments. Three are attired in off the shoulder puffed-sleeved dresses and one woman wears a blue dress with a collar. They all wear jewelry, including earrings and necklaces, as well as ankle-laced shoes and a red ribbon on one leg and a blue ribbon on the other, the latter to aid in the lesson. In the right, “Mr. Boeyfong” stands with his left foot pointed out and holding a violin in one hand and the corresponding bow down toward the foot of the woman across from him. He instructs the pupil to "hold in ze stomach and stick out behind!" He has sideburns and wears his dark hair styled out to the sides. He is attired in a white ruffled shirt, a vest with a floral pattern, a cravat with a floral pattern, a black waistcoat, blue pantaloons, white stockings, and slip on shoes adorned with ribbons. Behind them is a sign with the "Regulations" of the "Saloon" which state that the women must wear the ribbons to distinguish their right foot from their left; they must not come undressed; and they may not have more than ten partners at one time. The women figures are portrayed with oversized features and their skin tone is depicted in brown hand coloring. The man figure is portrayed with muscular physical features and small feet., Title from item., Date inferred from content and name of publisher., Contains several lines of dialogue in dialect and the vernacular above the image: Allons Mademoiselle raise ze leg wis ze red ribbon so bring him to ze ozer leg wis de blue ribbon, hold up ze head, elevate ze bosom, hold in ze stomach and stick out behind! tres bien ver well-/Now Mr. Boeyfong is dat ‘ere step right?, Contains a caption below the image, a quote from Shakespeare's "Hamlet":” A station like the herald Mercury. New lighted on a heaven kissing hill. -Shakespeare., 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.
- Date
- [ca. 1833]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in New York (New York Set) [P.9187]
- Title
- Life in New York. "Blakey I say, can't you by the powers of your stame engine..?"
- Description
- Racist caricature depicting a conversation between a middle-class African American merchant and a working-class Irish man. Depicts the well-dressed man "merchant" of a "Patent Steam" laundry and his well-dressed woman companion being approached by a white Irish man outside the doorway to his “Patent Steam Scouring Establishment. Clothes of all kinds, etc.” He wears a top hat, green waistcoat, a white ruffled shirt and stiff collar, white pants, and black shoes. He holds a walking stick. His companion wears a yellow, wide-brimmed hat adorned with feathers and ribbons, a blue and yellow, long-sleeved dress with lace details, white stockings and slipper shoes. She holds up a monocle toward the Irish man who is in bare feet and attired in worn and torn clothing. He holds a stained and patched waistcoat. The Irish man asks the merchant to "shift" his coat for a new one, as by the appearance of the merchant's coat, he is just the man for whom he has been looking since leaving "Kilarney." The merchant and his companion are "salted" by the notion that they are of the same nature as the "ruffian" and will "larn" him better by telling him to "ply to the office." The African American figures are portrayed with oversized features and their 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 dialect and the vernacular below the image: What you mean sir! I’m a merchant, I larn you better! cant you rid dat dere Sign, ply to the Office./Aint it too gusting for a lady of quality to be salted so in Street by Ruffians./Blakey I say! Can’t you by the powers of your Stame Engine Shift me this coat for a new one! I trust by the looks of yours youre the very man I have been looking for since I left Kilarney., Inscribed: Pl. 2., Charles Ingrey was a premier London lithographic printer of the 1830s., LCP AR [Annual Report] 1972 p. 60., 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., Purchase 1972.
- Date
- [ca. 1831]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in New York (London Set) [8025.F.2]
- Title
- Life in New York. "Blakey I say, can't you by the powers of your stame engine..?"
- Description
- Racist caricature depicting a conversation between a middle-class African American merchant and a working-class Irish man. Depicts the well-dressed man "merchant" of a "Patent Steam" laundry and his well-dressed woman companion being approached by a white Irish man outside the doorway to his “Patent Steam Scouring Establishment. Clothes of all kinds, etc.” He wears a top hat, green waistcoat, a white ruffled shirt and stiff collar, white pants, and black shoes. He holds a walking stick. His companion wears a yellow, wide-brimmed hat adorned with feathers and ribbons, a blue and yellow, long-sleeved dress with lace details, white stockings and slipper shoes. She holds up a monocle toward the Irish man who is in bare feet and attired in worn and torn clothing. He holds a stained and patched waistcoat. The Irish man asks the merchant to "shift" his coat for a new one, as by the appearance of the merchant's coat, he is just the man for whom he has been looking since leaving "Kilarney." The merchant and his companion are "salted" by the notion that they are of the same nature as the "ruffian" and will "larn" him better by telling him to "ply to the office." The African American figures are portrayed with oversized features and their 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 dialect and the vernacular below the image: What you mean sir! I’m a merchant, I larn you better! cant you rid dat dere Sign, ply to the Office./Aint it too gusting for a lady of quality to be salted so in Street by Ruffians./Blakey I say! Can’t you by the powers of your Stame Engine Shift me this coat for a new one! I trust by the looks of yours youre the very man I have been looking for since I left Kilarney., Inscribed: Pl. 2., Charles Ingrey was a premier London lithographic printer of the 1830s., LCP AR [Annual Report] 1972 p. 60., 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., Purchase 1972.
- Date
- [ca. 1831]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Life in New York (London Set) [8025.F.2]