Triumphal Procession of the Eagle and Other Birds at the April Election 1837.: Museum Object and Cultural History
Triumphal Procession of the Eagle and Other Birds at the April Election 1837.: Date made: 1837. depicted: Clark, Aaron. maker: Brown.
The object in the museum catalogue
This 1837 black and white print depicts Aaron Clark, the Whig nominee for Mayor of New York City, leading a crowd of supporters in a parade procession after he had defeated Tammany candidate, John J. Morgan. An Irish immigrant carries a sign reading “Fortune Favorite Aaron Clark” with an eagle on top, while two others play drums and a third plays a fife. The eagle perched on the sign states, “I’m d—d sick of this set!!,” while in the left corner of the print, a man sitting at a table labeled, “Whig nomination for Mayor Aaron Clark,” collects ballots. Clark became the second popularly elected mayor of New York City, and focused on reviving the city’s economy amidst the Panic of 1837. While his economic policies made him popular, his electoral success is attributed to the rise of the Loco Foco faction of the Democratic Party. While Tammany Hall and Loco Foco Democrats shared some ideas, they differed on economic policy—a key issue of the time. Their split from Tammany Hall meant that there were two Democratic candidates on the mayoral ticket, dividing the vote and securing a win for the Whigs.
The publisher of this print is someone who went by Brown, but no additional information is known about them at this time.
Materials, dates and provenance
- Date made: 1837
- depicted: Clark, Aaron
- maker: Brown
- Object Name: Lithograph
- Object Type: Lithograph
- Measurements: image: 9 3/4 in x 15 1/8 in; 24.765 cm x 38.4175 cm
- Subject: Furnishings
- Subject: Municipal Government
- Subject: Political Parties
- Subject: Political Caricatures
- Subject: Birds
- Subject: Chronology: 1830-1839
- Subject: Music
- Subject: Walking
- ID Number: DL.60.3349
- catalog number: 60.3349
- 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.
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