Cartoon mocking Philadelphia's Sunday Law depicting an absurd street scene where citizens are barred from patronizing several closed businesses and public facilities, except for church. Renewed enforcement of the unpopular law proceeded the election of Sabbatarian Mayor Robert T. Conrad in 1854. Police patrol the street enforcing the law, including preventing a downed horse from dying; a "segars" store chimney from "smoking"; and a mourner from hiring a carriage to travel to a funeral "20 miles away." Other citizens angrily mob the church and plead to patronize the businesses and public services, including: a mother unable to purchase medicine from an "Apothecary" for her sick child; a fire victim unable to request a fire engine; a man with a "bellyache" prevented from using a locked "Public Water Closet"; and a wife barred from purchasing provisions as a result of her husband's tardily received wages. Also contains: a clock, a dog, and a rooster padlocked to prevent them from making noise. In the background, the steamship John "Stevens" remains docked at the pier near signs stating, "This river is stopped from running on Sundays" and "No fish allowed to swim on Sunday.", Title from item., Date inferred from content., Artist's monogram lower right corner., Probably drawn by Philadelphia and New York lithographer John L. Magee., Retrospective conversion record: original entry, edited.
Date
[ca. 1855]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department political cartoons - [1855]-Beau [8365.F]
