The Funeral of Old Tammany: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This 1836 print by Whig printmaker Henry R. Robinson predicts a Whig victory in the 1836 election, and illustrates what he thinks the death of Tammany Hall and its backing institution, the Democratic Party. Tammany Hall was a political machine in New York City that worked to get Democrats elected to office. At the left of the print, the editor of the “Courier & Enquirer,” James Watson Webb drives the hearse carrying “Old Tammany.” Following the hearse is a crowd of mourners including prominent figures of the time such as politicians, Garrit Gilbert and William M. Price, office holders like James Gulick, and various other bankers and editors of Democratic newspapers on foot. The mourners all express their displeasure at the end of Tammany rule, but behind the mourners are smiling fire fighters, most likely in reference to Tammany Hall’s political manipulation of the New York City fire department. On the far right, Tammany Hall is depicted beneath an American flag flying at half-mast.

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.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date made: 1836
• depicted: Price, William M.
• depicted: Gulick, James
• depicted: Gilbert, Garrit
• maker: Robinson, Henry R.
• Object Name: Lithograph
• Object Type: Lithograph
• Measurements: image: 9 1/4 in x 19 1/8 in; 23.495 cm x 48.5775 cm
• place made: United States: New York, New York City
• Subject: Communication, newspapers
• Subject: Economy
• Subject: Municipal Government
• Subject: Patriotism and Patriotic Symbols
• Subject: Political Parties
• Subject: Horses
• Subject: Fire Fighting
• Subject: Carriages
• ID Number: DL.60.3385
• catalog number: 60.3385
• Credit Line: Harry T. Peters "America on Stone" Lithography Collection
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.