THE "SECESSION MOVEMENT."

[Currier & Ives]: [Civil War]

Published by Currier & Ives, New York, 1861

Lithographic print, 13¼ x 17¾ inches. Old folds. Splits along the folds, repaired with tape on verso. Worn along the left edge. Image tanned from previous matting. Good plus. A particularly scarce Currier & Ives lithograph depicting the heedlessness of the "Secession Winter" before the outbreak of the American Civil War. "The movement of several Southern states toward secession in early 1861 is portrayed as a doomed enterprise. The artist shows Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, all represented by men riding donkeys, following the lead of South Carolina toward a cliff. South Carolina, who rides a pig, pursues a butterfly 'Secession Humbug.' A sixth man, Georgia, rides down an inclined path rather than follow the group, confessing, 'We have some doubts about the end of that road and think it expedient to deviate a little.' [Despite the misgivings alluded to here, Georgia would still be the fifth of the eleven states to secede]. "South Carolina, reaching for the butterfly, says, 'We go the whole hog.--Old Hickory is dead, and now we'll have it.' His reference to Andrew Jackson ('Old Hickory') is in keeping with the anti-Democratic line of the cartoon. The work is in fact based on an 1837 satire criticizing Jacksonian fiscal policy and its bullionist pursuit of the 'Gold Humbug.' "Florida, immediately behind South Carolina, cries, 'Go it Carolina! we are the boys to wreck the Union.' Next follows Alabama, who declares, 'We go it blind, Cotton is King!' Mississippi says, 'Down with the Union! Mississippi "repudiates her bonds."' Last is Louisiana, who says, 'Go it boys! We'll soon taste the sweets of secession,' alluding to the state's domination of the sugar trade" - Reilly. While Currier and Ives were far from Republican cheerleaders, the duo from New York and Massachusetts certainly never hid their disdain for the secessionists. The firm's support for the Union cause only grew throughout the war, and they were eventually contracted to print discharge certificates for the Union army. OCLC records this print only at the University of Michigan's Clements Library and the American Antiquarian Society. We also locate copies at the Library of Congress, Library Company of Philadelphia, and the Worcester Art Museum. REILLY, AMERICAN POLITICAL PRINTS 1861-7. CURRIER & IVES: CATALOGUE RAISONNÉ 5847. WEITENKAMPF, p.126. OCLC 191120146, 1136544645. Seller Inventory # WRCAM57498

Bibliographic Details

Title: THE "SECESSION MOVEMENT."
Publisher: Currier & Ives, New York
Publication Date: 1861