Sensational print showing the death of the 18-year old Nativist, the first person killed in the Nativist Riots at Kensington on May 6, 1844. Shows three men in suits surrounding Schiffler, who is attired in shirt sleeves, and collapsing to the ground. The gravely injured man half-kneels with one hand reaching for the bullet wound at his chest, and the other holding an American flag above his head. In the background, shadowy crowds of rioters clash with one another. The May riots (May 6-8, 1844) began during a confrontation between Irish-Catholics and participants of an American Nativist Party rally held in the Irish neighborhood of Kensington. Schiffler purportedly helped support the flag that hung on the speaker's stand at the Nativist Rally., Date range inferred from content of image and post-consolidation address of printer, 706 South Third Street, previously 264 South Third Street. See *GC - Genre [P.2005.36.17], Philadelphia on Stone, POS 176, Retrospective conversion record: original entry, edited., Free Library of Philadelphia: Castner 24:1, Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Bb 892 M191, See also the ca. 1850 print "Death of George Shifler in Kensington. Born Jan 24 1825. Murdered May 6 1844" held at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The unsigned lithograph is further captioned “Respectfully dedicated to the Native Americans by Shifler No. 1 Southwark Phila” and contains the imprint “Sold by Pierson No. 349 So. 2nd Phila. R. DeWitt, Tribune Buildings, N. York.” Pierson was Southwark (and Nativist supportive) bookseller Hiram B. Pierson (b. ca. 1814). DeWitt was New York publisher Robert DeWitt. Each concurrently operated from their cited business address between circa 1850 and circa 1853. Magee and Smith probably designed their lithograph after the ca. 1850 print after 1854.
Creator
Magee, John L., artist
Date
[ca. 1844-1860]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *BW - Riots [P.8729.17]
