The almighty lever – Antique Print
(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
Few images capture their era like this antique lithograph of The almighty lever. It comes from the collections of the Library of Congress, scanned from the original and carefully restored.
Framed, it is ready for the wall; unframed, it is ready for the frame you choose. A fine choice for anyone who loves history, and a gift that gets noticed. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past has been bringing history to the wall since 2001, for tens of thousands of customers worldwide.
The almighty lever
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Martin Van Buren, the sitting president seeking reelection in 1840, is the figure this cartoon takes aim at, and its scene pairs the White House and the Capitol with log cabins and eagles. Edward Williams Clay, a New York caricaturist, drew the design, and John Childs published it in New York that year. The log cabin was the emblem of the Whig campaign that elected William Henry Harrison over Van Buren, so the print reflects the sharp partisan imagery of that contest. It is a useful example of how political cartoons of the period set national landmarks against rural symbols to argue over who truly served the people.
| Created / published | New York : Published by John Childs, 1840. |
|---|---|
| Medium | 1 print : lithograph on wove paper ; 35 x 45.7 cm. (image) |
| Genre | Lithographs 1840.Political cartoons 1840. |
| Notes | Entered . . . 1840 by J. Childs. Published by John Childs, 90 Nassau Street New York. Signed: W.C. inv. (Edward Williams Clay). Title appears as it is written on the item. Davison, no. 133. Lorant, p. 158-159. Weitenkampf, p. 66. 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 1840-58. |
| Subjects | Van Buren, Martin,--1782-1862. Equal Rights Party (New York, N.Y.)--1840. United States Capitol (Washington, D.C.)--1840. White House (Washington, D.C.)--1840. Eagles--1840. Log cabins--1840. |
| Source | Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division |
| Original scan | 1,536 × 1,120 px · prints to 5 × 4 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | AMZ-SOTP-HPA-110640 |
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