The Modern Balaam and His Ass
date: label: Date made
content: n.d.
label: date made
content: ca 1837
name: label: depicted
content: Van Buren, Martin
label: depicted
content: Jackson, Andrew
label: maker
content: Robinson, Henry R.
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: This 1837 caricature of President Andrew Jackson depicts him seated upon a donkey or ass, an emerging symbol for the Democratic Party. As suggested by the title, “The Modern Balaam and His Ass,” this image employs a biblical reference to critique Jackson. In the Bible, Balaam is a wicked prophet, who while on a journey to curse Israel is tested by God. An angel, visible only to his ass, was placed in his path, and when Balaam beat the ass for trying to move around the obstruction, God granted the ass the ability to speak. Only after the ass speaks was Balaam able to see the angel, and it is only because of the great wisdom of the beast that the angel spares the life of the prophet. In this cartoon, Jackson is Balaam, and his “Jack”-ass is the Democratic Party. Jackson is beating the ass with a cane labeled “Veto,” while the Democratic Party speaking as the ass asks, “am not I thine ass upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day?” The Democratic Party was divided at this time on what to do with regarding the banks, symbolized in this print by the saddle bag reading “Specie Currency Circulating Medium.” Similar to the biblical story, Jackson was advised not to harm people via a bad decision, but unlike in the bible, he did it anyway. The handkerchief reading “Farewell Address” flying out of his pocket while Jackson’s successor, Vice President Martin Van Buren walks behind the donkey, shows that the warning was not heeded, and that the Democratic Party will continue to suffer at the hands of its leader.
label: Description (Brief)
content: The lithographer of this print is Henry R. Robinson (1827-1877). Robinson worked in New York, and had a store to sell his prints. In 1842, he was arrested for selling obscene pictures and books leading to the September 28, 1842 court case, People vs H. R. Robinson found in the District Attorney Indictment Papers, Municipal Archives. He was politically affiliated with the anti-Jackson Whig party which was made obvious by the wig silhouette used in 1838 as an advertising logo for his shop.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York, New York City
topic: label: Subject
content: U.S. National Government, executive branch
label: Subject
content: Livestock
label: Subject
content: Economy
label: Subject
content: Political Caricatures
label: Subject
content: Donkeys
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
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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.60.3327
label: catalog number
content: 60.3327
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Lithograph
label: Object Type
content: Lithograph
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: image: 11 1/4 in x 17 1/4 in; 28.575 cm x 43.815 cm