Page 85 - Swann Galleries - Printed & Manuscript African Americana- Sale 2308 - March 21, 2013

129 ● (SLAVERY AND ABOLITION—RACIST HUMOR.) TREAGAR, G.S.
Othello, from the series “Life in Philadelphia.” Hand-colored engraving, 10 x 14
inches (image 73⁄
4 x 111⁄
4 inches.) London, circa 1830’s [400/600]
Based on EdwardWilliam Clay’s satirical series on Philadelphia’s free black community, G.S.
Treagar in London was one of the more successful imitators.
129
128 ● (SLAVERY AND ABOLITION—RACIST HUMOR.) TREAGAR, GABRIEL
SHEAR. Life in Philadelphia, Tregear’s Black Jokes. A group of twenty-three hand-
colored engravings, depicting African Americans in grossly exaggerated stereotypical poses;
with the exception of three, all have had their margins trimmed to some degree; in almost
all cases, captions are intact, and none have suffered any loss to the images. All have been
tipped on to old wove paper, probably from a large album. MUST BE SEEN. includes number
one in the “black jokes” series as well as the famous lampoon of the 1833 emancipation in
the west indies “grand celebration ob de bobalition ob African slabery.”
London, circa 1828-1834 [3,000/4,000]
Gabriel Shear Tregear (1802-1841) was an English publisher of caricatures and prints. Active
from the late 1820s until his death in 1857, he operated his “Humorous and Sporting Print
Shop” from quarters at 123 Cheapside, London.The present series “Life in Philadelphia,” and
the “Black Jokes,” were copied from the American engraver Edward Williams Clay’s original
series appearing serially in the 1820’s and 1830’s.There were 14 caricatures in Clay’s original
series, modeled after Edward Cruikshank’s “Life in London, but Gabriel Tregear seems to have
been inspired to create some of his own above and beyond the original series.
Included are the following from Tregear’s Black Jokes: “No.1 The Promenade,” “The
Advertisement,” “Blackberrying,” “The Breaking up,” “The Concert,” “Don Juan and
Zerline,” “The First Lesson,” “The Elopement,” “The Wedding Feast,” and “The Lubbers’
Quarrel.” From the Life in Philadelphia series:“An Unfair Reflexion,”“Grand Celebation ob
de Bobalition ob African Slabery,” “A Crier Extraordinary,” “Take away, take away dose rosy
lips,”“What you tink of my new poke Bonnet Frederick Augustus,”“Shall I hab de honour to
dance de next Quadrille wid you Miss Minta?,”“How you find yourself die hot weader Miss
Chloe?”“I look bery pale dis morning Monsieur, so just be kind enuf to paint me wid a little
Colour,”“Othello, Desdemona’s Asleep,” and “A Black Charge.”The following three are full-
margined and tipped to large sheet of old wove paper: “The Lubbers Quarrel,” The Lady
Patroness of Alblacks,” andVenus and Adonis.”