Uncle Sam in Danger
date: label: Date made
content: n.d.
label: date made
content: ca 1837
name: label: depicted
content: Jackson, Andrew
label: depicted
content: Van Buren, Martin
label: depicted
content: Kendall, Amos
label: originated character
content: Smith, Seba
label: maker
content: Whitley, Thomas W.
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: This 1837 hand colored print depicts outgoing president Andrew Jackson in the process of bleeding Uncle Sam into a pan labeled “Safety Fund.” This is in reference to the Safety Fund law passed when Martin Van Buren was the governor of New York that mandated all banks pay into a fund to be used in the event of a banking emergency. This was an early form of deposit insurance, but during the Panic of 1837 which was largely caused by the Jackson Administration financial decisions like the 1836 Specie Circular, the “Safety Fund” was quickly exhausted. Holding the blood pan is Democratic political advisor Amos Kendall, and standing behind him is Major Jack Downing in full dress uniform. Created by journalist Seba Smith, Downing represented the common man and Jackson’s commitment to advocating on their behalf. On the far right of the print, is incoming President/ current Vice President Martin Van Buren, who is acting as the apothecary. The apothecary was not only a pharmacist, but served as the doctor’s assistant. This refers to Van Buren’s loyalty and assistance to Jackson both during his years as his Vice President and later during Van Buren’s own administration.
label: Description (Brief)
content: The lithographer of this print is Thomas W. Whitley. Whitley was an artist from England who settled in Patterson, New Jersey ca 1835. He worked in New York City from 1839 to 1842 and again in 1849, often under the alias of “Sir Joshua.” Whitley exhibited at the National Academy from 1835 to 1863, and at the Apollo Association and the Art Union 1841 and 1848-49. Additionally, he was the author and illustrator of A Guide to Hoboken, the Elysian Fields, and Weehawken, that was published in 1858.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York, New York City
topic: label: Subject
content: Economy
label: Subject
content: Patriotism and Patriotic Symbols
label: Subject
content: Costume
label: Subject
content: Uniforms, Military
label: Subject
content: Political Caricatures
label: depicted
content: Medicine
label: depicted
content: Uncle Sam
label: depicted
content: Voting
label: depicted
content: Jack Downing
label: depicted
content: Bloodletting
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
label: See more items in
content: Peters Political Prints
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content: Art
label: See more items in
content: Domestic Furnishings
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Harry T. Peters "America on Stone" Lithography Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: DL.60.3429
label: catalog number
content: 60.3429
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Lithograph
label: Object Type
content: Lithograph
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: image: 10 3/4 in x 15 5/8 in; 27.305 cm x 39.6875 cm