A Dialogue, Between two well known characters.
date: label: Date made
content: 1837
name: label: depicted
content: Van Buren, Martin
label: maker
content: Robinson, Henry R.
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: In this 1837 caricature of President Martin Van Buren, “Brother Jonathan,” the personification of The United States, is shown speaking to “John Bull,” the personification of England across the Atlantic Ocean, while Van Buren is depicted in the background as a weathervane. “Brother Jonathan” is shown leaning on a walking stick, and “John Bull” addresses how poorly he looks and asks, “how does your new weathercock get on?” In a long dialogue, “Brother Jonathan” uses a metaphor of a “weather cock” to speak to the evolution of the presidency, focusing on the most recent “cock,” Andrew Jackson, who was stubborn and had a great influence over his current “cock,” President Martin Van Buren. Van Buren is holding two papers in his hands, the Whig Party aligned “Madisonian,” and the pro-Jackson Administration paper, “The Globe.” While he holds both opinions in his hand, he ultimately is pointing towards the National Bank with the hand holding “The Globe,” representing his decision to maintain Jacksonian ideas about financial policy and the National Bank. Brother Jonathan and John Bull were commonly used as symbols for the countries, and would have been well known by readers from this era.
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: Architecture, Commercial Buildings
label: Subject
content: Chronology: 1830-1839
label: Subject
content: Economy
label: Subject
content: Political Caricatures
label: Subject
content: U.S. National Government, executive branch
label: Subject
content: Communication, newspapers
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
label: See more items in
content: Clothing & Accessories
label: See more items in
content: Peters Political Prints
label: See more items in
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.60.3328
label: catalog number
content: 60.3328
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Lithograph
label: Object Type
content: Lithograph
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: image: 14 1/4 in x 11 in; 36.195 cm x 27.94 cm