Snapshots of the Past

I'm not to blame for being white, sir! – Antique Print

I'm not to blame for being white, sir!, Boston : Published by G.W. Cottrell, 1862. — antique lithograph
I'm not to blame for being white, sir!, Boston : Published by G.W. Cottrell, 1862.. Antique lithograph from the Historic Print Archive collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

Step back in time with I'm not to blame for being white, sir!, an antique lithograph rich in period detail. An authentic image from the Library of Congress, it carries the weight of the real historical record.

Framed, it is ready for the wall; unframed, it is ready for the frame you choose. It brings character to any room and makes a memorable gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past, founded in 2001, has served tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

I'm not to blame for being white, sir!

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A line of dialogue does much of the work here: "I'm not to blame for being white, sir!" is addressed to Senator Charles Sumner, the Massachusetts abolitionist. Published in Boston in 1862 by G.W. Cottrell and probably drawn by Dominique C. Fabronius, the lithograph belongs to a wave of Civil War-era prints that used racial caricature to attack Sumner and the Radical Republicans. Its mockery turns on the idea of racial equality, so it is best read as a record of wartime partisan opinion rather than a neutral portrait.

Created / publishedBoston : Published by G.W. Cottrell, 1862.
Medium1 print : lithograph on wove paper ; 30.2 x 22.3 cm. (image)
GenreLithographs 1860-1870.Political cartoons 1860-1870.
NotesBoston. Published by G.W. Cottrell. Probably drawn by Dominique C. Fabronius. Title appears as it is written on the item. Weitenkampf, p. 136. Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress) Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1862-11.
SubjectsSumner, Charles,--1811-1874. African Americans--1860-1870. Abolitionists--1860-1870. Slavery--1860-1870.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,073 × 1,536 px · prints to 4 × 5 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-112070

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