Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
|
Catalog Number |
UNNUMBERED-820 |
Creator |
Morgan, Matt |
Date |
1878 |
Material(s) |
Paper/Ink |
Dimensions |
H-18.75 W-26 inches |
Description |
This print depicts a dockside scene featuring enslaved African-Americans. On the far left of the scene is a group of African-Americans watching a couple dance. The man in the forefront of the group is clapping. To either side of that group are two groups sitting on the ground. In the foreground of the scene is a man lying on his stomach with a cigar in his mouth. To his right is a small dog sitting on his haunches. On the far right of the scene are three people--two are sitting on the ground and one is standing. The man standing is wearing a long coat and is holding a cane behind his back. The center of the scene (in the foreground) are three musicians seated on the ground in front of a raised platform. The man on the right is playing a tambourine. The man in the middle is playing a fiddle and it appears he has hit the third man in the head. The third man is playing a banjo but has a grimace on his face and his hat is falling off. Above them, on the raised platform are two people dancing. The platform is a large piece of wood placed on top of four wooden barrels. There is a heavy-set woman on the left. She is wearing a kerchief on her head and is wearing a sleeveless dress over a white blouse. She is also wearing a white apron tied around her waist. On the right is a man wearing high waisted pants with suspenders. His back is to the viewer. He has a grappling hook hanging across his back. The pants are rolled up and he is wearing brogans. There are cotton bales stacked behind the dancers and in background are the smoke stacks of river boats. |
Notes |
There is no provenance on this piece. Strobridge and Co. was founded by Elijah Middleton in the mid-1840s. In 1854 he took lithographer W.R. Wallace and bookseller Hines Strobridge as partners. After the Civil War Strobridge bought out his partners and named the business after himself. In 1884 Strobridge built a factory in Cincinnati and began producing posters. By the 1930s the company had started making movie posters becoming one of the pioneers in that medium. In 1961 Strobridge was sold to the H.S. Crocker printing company and ten years after that the company closed its doors. |
Collection |
KHS Museum Collection |
People |
Morgan, Matt Strobridge & Co. Lithography |
Subjects |
Slaves Slavery African Americans Afro-Americans Dancers Dock hands Docks Docks, Loading |
Search Terms |
Slavery African Americans Agriculture |
Physical Holder |
Kentucky Historical Society - KHS |