Yankee Locke. The Distiguished Yankee Comedian: As he appears at the principal Theaters of the Union.: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This black and white print is an oval bust portrait of the actor George E. Locke, known as "Yankee Locke." The portrait is surrounded by six ornately framed full-length depictions of Locke’s various dramatic roles, including Jonathan Plowboy, Jedediah Homebred, Curtis Chunk, Lot Sap Sago, Solomon Swop, and Moderation Easterbrook. The words “Yankee Locke. / The Distinguished Yankee Comedian” are printed below the illustrations.

"Yankee" Locke (1817-1880) was an American comedian who was born George Evans Locke in Epsom, New Hampshire. Locke made his theatrical debut in Pizarro at Boylston Hall in Boston, Massachusetts and went on to perform on stages on both the East and West Coasts, often in smaller cities and towns. He earned the nickname "Yankee" for portraying what were seen as typically homespun American personalities, with names like Jedediah Homebred, Zedediah Short, and Moderation Easterbrook. Later in life he managed touring stage companies.

This lithograph was produced by John L. Magee. John L. Magee (ca 1820-1870s) was an artist, engraver, and lithographer born in New York. He worked at the lithographic firms of James Baillie, Nathaniel Currier, Thomas Strong, and Thomas Sinclair. He started his own business in New York in 1850 but moved to Philadelphia after 1852. He was known for his political cartoons and prints inspired by news and sports events. He also produced portraits, illustrated letterheads, and song sheets. Magee exhibited three paintings at the National Academy of Design, including The Mischievous Boy.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date made: n.d.
• date made: ca 1860
• depicted: Locke, George E.
• maker: Magee, John L.
• daguerreotypist: Warren, L. K.
• Object Name: lithograph
• Object Type: Lithograph
• Physical Description: paper (overall material)
• Physical Description: ink (overall material)
• Measurements: image: 20 in x 16 1/2 in; 50.8 cm x 41.91 cm
• place made: United States
• Subject: Costume
• Subject: Comic prints
• Subject: Theater
• ID Number: DL.60.3009
• catalog number: 60.3009
• accession number: 228146
• 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. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation.