Poster of the character Old Bob playing a banjo with his mule Calamity Jane: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A chromolithographic print poster with linen backing for [JAMES H. WALLICK'S BANDIT KING CO.] featuring Fred Lyons as the character "Old Bob" with his mule, Calamity Jane. The poster illustration depicts Lyons, "Old Bob," seated on a chair playing a banjo and singing with the mule, Calamity Jane, braying at his side. Lyons is dressed in a minstrel style, wearing a tan jacket, red and white striped shirt, green and tan striped pansts, and a tan top hat. He is seated in what appears to be a living room. At the top of the poster, green text in an Art Nouveau style with floral illustrations reads, [JAMES H. WALLICK'S / BANDIT KING CO.]. Small black text in the lower left corner of the image reads, [Great Western Saint Louis]. Along the bottom of the poster, white and black text in an Art Noveau style reads, [Fred Lyons / as Old Bob / With His Donkey / Calamity Jane] set against a red background with blue and pink floral illustrations.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1900
• Created by: Unidentified
• Type: posters
• Medium: ink on paper with linen backing
• Dimensions: H x W: 27 × 20 1/2 in. (68.6 × 52.1 cm)
• Place printed: Saint Louis, Missouri, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Caricature and cartoons
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Minstrel (Music)
• Topic: Minstrel shows
• Topic: Stereotypes
• Topic: Vaudeville
• Object number: 2014.63.86
• 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: Public domain Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.