Triumph political cartoon, 1861
Permanent ID:
12050Call number:
Bc 61 T 692Language:
EnglishDate:
1861Image Description:
This lithograph, published in 1861, prophetically celebrates the downfall of slavery, although this was hardly a foregone conclusion at the outset of the Civil War. The cartoon depicts a shackled African American slave, lying with arms outstretched at the center of the image, being rescued by Humanitas (depicted as a woman holding a baby), Justice, Jesus, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and the Goddess of Liberty, shown wearing a Native American headdress and holding a pole with a liberty cap and a large American flag. These rescuers are shown riding on the back of a giant American bald eagle. To the right of the slave is "King Cotton," a gigantic alligator-like monster wearing ermine robes and a ruffled collar, who throws up his claws in distress as the eagle grasps the edge of his cloak, thunderbolts set fire to his throne, and his crown falls off his head. To the left of the slave, a Hydra, a dog, and men holding whips flee into the sea as African American captives look on. At the bottom of the scene is a dead rattlesnake. Below the illustration is the title and several lines of verse from "The Giaour," a poem by Lord Byron.Format:
Lithographs; Political cartoonsDimensions:
Width: 47 cm, Height: 63 cm (image)Publisher:
Collection:
Historical Society of Pennsylvania large graphics collectionRelated People or Organizations:
Unknown Artist (artist)Moloshok, Rachel (Transcribed by)
Moloshok, Rachel (Encoded by)
Historical Society of Pennsylvania (repository)
Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1826 (depicted)
Benjamin Franklin, 1706-1790 (depicted)
George Washington, 1732-1799 (depicted)
Byron, George Gordon Byron, Baron, 1788-1824 (mentioned)
Traubel, M. H. (Morris H.), 1820-1897 (publisher)