Snapshots of the Past

Machines for the new pay-tent office – Antique Print

Machines for the new pay-tent office, N.Y. : Printed & published by H.R. Robinson, 1838. — antique lithograph
Machines for the new pay-tent office, N.Y. : Printed & published by H.R. Robinson, 1838.. 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

This rare antique lithograph captures Machines for the new pay-tent office in remarkable 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. A conversation-starting piece for home, office, or as a meaningful gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past, founded in 2001, has served tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

Machines for the new pay-tent office

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The title turns on the word "patent," with the "pay-tent" spelling pointing to the Patent Office and the suspicion that official favors had a price. This 1838 color lithograph, published by H.R. Robinson of New York, uses that pun to take aim at Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, James K. Polk and Francis Preston Blair, editor of the Washington *Globe* and a close ally of Jackson. Political cartoons like this were a major form of partisan argument in the 1830s, sold to readers who shared them in shops and parlors. The depiction of officeholders as machines reflects the Whig charge that patronage, not merit, decided who was rewarded.

Created / publishedN.Y. : Printed & published by H.R. Robinson, 1838.
Medium1 print : lithograph, color.
GenreLithographs Color 1830-1840.Political cartoons 1830-1840.
NotesEntered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1838, by H.R. Robinson, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern District of New York. Printed & published by H.R. Robinson 52 Cortlandt St. & 11 1/2 Wall & 38 Chathrn. St. N.Y. Inscribed in stone: By O'Graphic. Signed in stone: C. Title appears as it is written on the item. Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)
SubjectsBlair, Francis Preston,--1791-1876. Jackson, Andrew,--1767-1845. Polk, James K. (James Knox),--1795-1849. Van Buren, Martin,--1782-1862. Patents--1830-1840.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,536 × 1,036 px · prints to 5 × 3 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-156591

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