Snapshots of the Past

The old story – Historic Print

The old story, 1884 Jan. 26 [publication date] — antique engraving
The old story, 1884 Jan. 26 [publication date]. Antique engraving 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

A window into the past: The old story, preserved in this antique engraving. 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. Perfect for a home, office, library or classroom wall, and a gift with a story behind it. 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 old story

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A familiar nursery tale becomes a sharp joke in this wood engraving, with the caption calling Red Riding Hood "a bread-winner" and the wolf's lines about large eyes, great teeth, and eating her recast as sly, self-interested talk. Humorous illustrated weeklies of the 1880s often used stock fairy-tale figures to comment on money, labor, and the powerful, and this sheet fits that tradition. Its January 1884 publication date places it in a busy period for American graphic satire, and the punchline depends on the reader already knowing the old story.

Created / published1884 Jan. 26 [publication date]
Medium1 print : wood engraving on bristol board ; 30 x 23 cm. (sheet)
NotesInscribed below title: Red Riding Hood. (a bread-winner). What large eyes you've got!" The Wolf. "All the better to see with
Subjectsmy dear!" She. "But--what great big teeth you've got!!!" He. "N'yum! N'yum!" (To himself) "All the better to eat you
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,110 × 1,536 px · prints to 4 × 5 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-159330

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