Wednesday, June 30, 2010

General Jackson Slaying the Many Headed Monster

Title: General Jackson slaying the many headed monster. Related Names: Robinson, Henry R., d. 1850. Date Created/Published: N.Y. : Printed & publd. by H.R. Robinson, 1836. Medium: 1 print : lithograph on wove paper ; 30.2 x 36.5 cm. (image). JPEG (99kb) || TIFF (1.7mb)
Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication.

Summary: A satire on Andrew Jackson's campaign to destroy the Bank of the United States and its support among state banks. Jackson, Martin Van Buren, and Jack Downing struggle against a snake with heads representing the states. Jackson (on the left) raises a cane marked "Veto" and says, "Biddle thou Monster Avaunt!! avaount I say! or by the Great Eternal I'll cleave thee to the earth, aye thee and thy four and twenty satellites. Matty if thou art true...come on. if thou art false, may the venomous monster turn his dire fang upon thee..." Van Buren: "Well done General, Major Jack Downing, Adams, Clay, well done all.

I dislike dissentions beyond every thing, for it often compels a man to play a double part, were it only for his own safety. Policy, policy is my motto, but intrigues I cannot countenance." Downing (dropping his axe): "Now now you nasty varmint, be you imperishable? I swan Gineral that are beats all I reckon, that's the horrible wiper wot wommits wenemous heads I guess..." The largest of the heads is president of the Bank Nicholas Biddle's, which wears a top hat labeled "Penn" (i.e. Pennsylvania) and "$35,000,000." This refers to the rechartering of the Bank by the Pennsylvania legislature in defiance of the adminstration's efforts to destroy it.

Part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress) Reproduction Number: LC-USZ62-1575 (b&w film copy neg.) Call Number: PC/US - 1836.R661, no. 37 (B size) [P&P] Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Notes:
* Printed & publd. by H.R. Robinson, 52 Cortlandt St. N.Y.
* Title appears as it is written on the item.
* Weitenkampf cites another version of the print issued by Robinson with the date 1836, and suggests that the present version is a reversed copy of that. One print with this title was registered for copyright by Robinson on March 29, 1836.
* Weitenkampf, p. 39-40.
* 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 1836-7.

Subjects:
* Adams, John Quincy,--1767-1848.
* Biddle, Nicholas,--1786-1844.
* Clay, Henry,--1777-1852.--Political activity.
* Jackson, Andrew,--1767-1845.
* Van Buren, Martin,--1782-1862.
* Bank of Pennsylvania--1830-1840.
* Bank of the United States--1830-1840.
* Pennsylvania--1830-1840.
* Downing, Jack or "Zek" (Fictitious character)

Format:
* Lithographs--1830-1840.
* Political cartoons--1830-1840.

Collections:
* Cartoon Prints, American

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