Comic illustration of a man who has lost his mule: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This comic features an illustration depicting a man who has lost his mule out west. The man is holding his boots in his hands and is wearing pants, chaps, shirt and hat. The mule is walking away in the distance. The text bubble at the top of the comic reads [AH GOT TER HAB A / NEW PAIR OB BOOTS / MADE -- AN', BOY, DEY'S / GWINE TER BE MADE / OB MULE SKIN!] The title of the comic is printed at the bottom center and reads [FROM A CERTAIN MULE]. Copyright information is printed in the bottom left corner and reads [REQ. US. PAT. OFF / NEA SERVICE, INC.] The illustrator's name is printed in the bottom right corner J.R. WILLIAMS].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: mid 20th century
• Published by: Newspaper Enterprise Association, American, founded 1902
• Illustrated by: James Robert Williams, Canadian, 1888 - 1957
• Type: comics
• Medium: ink on paper (fiber product)
• Dimensions: H x W (Image and sheet): 5 1/4 × 5 5/8 in. (13.3 × 14.3 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: American West
• Topic: Caricature and cartoons
• Topic: Stereotypes
• Object number: 2014.37.35.28
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Unknown - Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.