The Acquisitions Table: The Quarrel

E.W. Clay, attr., The Quarrel, lithograph, NY: John Childs, 1839.

This previously unrecorded cartoon, published in New York, is one in a set of prints investigating the social implications of interaction between white citizens and African Americans.  The cartoon, which was probably designed by the artist Edward W. Clay for John Childs, depicts two African American men fighting on a dance floor, with one tweaking the nose of the other.

Published by

Lauren Hewes

Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Graphic Arts, American Antiquarian Society

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *