print;
satirical print
- Museum number
- 2001,0930.23
- Title
-
Object: Cinderrella and the Black Prince
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Series: Tregears Black Jokes
- Description
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Satire, no.15 in series: depiction of black figures dressed in pastiche historical costume, as if at court, with suitor prince kissing hand of lady Cinderella. 1834
Hand-coloured etching and aquatint
- Production date
- 1834
- Dimensions
-
Height: 265 millimetres (trimmed)
-
Width: 368 millimetres (trimmed)
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- See John Hickman, 'The engravings of Charles and George Hunt', Norwich 2017, p.136 and for the series pp.129-38 (all illustrated). The series is of 20 prints, all after Summers and they were published together in 1834. The full title of the series is 'Black Jokes, being a series of laughable caricatures on the march of manners amongst blacks'. See the account by Hickman, from which the following is taken.
This is the later of two similar series published by Tregear. The earlier one was issued in 1831-33, under the heading 'Life in Philadelphia', and was initially published by Harrison Isaacs and after his bankruptcy in 1830 was taken over by Tregear. They derive from an American series, Edward W. Clay's 'Life in Philadelphia', of 1828-30, and were redrawn for the English version by William Summers. Originally it followed the American series with 14 prints, but after Tregear had taken over he altered the composition so it became a set of 20, of which only 9 followed the American designs, and 11 new British ones were added after designs by Summers himself.
The series is an example of the mockery of black people at the time of the Slave Emancipation Act which was passed in August 1833 and came into force a year later; enslaved people in the British Caribbean islands were obliged to work as unpaid 'apprentices' to their former masters until 31 July1838.
See also the essay by Radiclani Clytus in 'Black Victorians: Black People in British Art 1800-1900', Manchester / Birmingham 2005, pp.24-9; and Temi Odumosu, "Africans in English Caricature 1769-1819: Black Jokes, White Humour" (Harvey Miller) 2017.
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
2005/6 Oct-Jan, Manchester Art Gallery, 'Black Victorians', no.93
2006 Jan-April, Birmingham City Art Gallery, 'Black Victorians', no.93
- Acquisition date
- 2001
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 2001,0930.23
