See Saw in Danger
date: label: Date made
content: n.d.
name: label: depicted
content: Jackson, Andrew
label: depicted
content: Van Buren, Martin
label: depicted
content: Kendall, Amos
label: maker
content: Imbert, Anthony
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: This undated print is a reference to President Andrew Jackson’s decision to remove the deposits from the Second National Bank of the United States and redistribute them amongst state banks. In this print, Jackson sits suspended in the air on one end of a see-saw. He is losing his pipe, walking stick, top hat and sword, and is panicking about his situation. He begs Martin Van Buren to get him down, but Van Buren who is seated on the other end of the see-saw along with five other men, can’t because their weight is what is holding him there. In between Jackson and Van Buren are sacks of money that are slowly sliding towards Van Buren and the men. These represent the deposits that Jackson removed to redistribute to the state banks, and they are being tipped towards the bankers by the horde of common men who are holding up the see-saw. Below Jackson, a well-dressed man holds up a scroll that makes reference to Whig victories in Connecticut, New York, Virginia, and Philadelphia, and a sign points towards Jackson’s home “The Hermitage.”
label: Description (Brief)
content: The lithographer of this print is Anthony Imbert. Imbert is considered a pioneer of American lithography, but he got his artistic start painting marine scenes inspired by his long imprisonment in England as a naval officer. Upon arriving in America he was commissioned to prepare lithographic plates for illustration, leading to a long career in lithography. He captured life in New York City, and many of his prints are important for historical documentation of the city. Imbert died around 1838, as his wife, Mary Imbert, is listed as a widow in that year’s city directory.
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: Political Caricatures
label: Subject
content: U.S. National Government, executive branch
label: Subject
content: U.S. National Government, legislative branch
label: Subject
content: Political Parties
label: Subject
content: Toys
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
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content: Clothing & Accessories
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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.60.3434
label: catalog number
content: 60.3434
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Lithograph
label: Object Type
content: Lithograph
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: image: 10 1/4 in x 16 3/4 in; 26.035 cm x 42.545 cm