Item Summary

Racist caricature depicting an African American man-woman couple in the characters of Romeo and Juliet during the balcony scene from Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." In the right, "Romeo" wearing an Elizabethan costume including a plumed hat, cape, and sash, holds his right, gloved hand over his heart and his left, ungloved hand out and holding the edge of his cape. He recites, "How silber sweet sounds Lubbers Tongues by Night, like sorptest Music to attending Ears." In the left, from the balcony, "Juliet" responds, "Dou know’st de mask ob night is on my face, else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek." She wears a pink puffed sleeve, décolleté dress, earrings, a necklace, and hair adornment. She holds a glove and fan in her right gloved hand at her side and her left hand rests on the balustrade of the balcony. A rose vine climbs up the balcony and the tops of trees and a balustrade are visible behind “Romeo.” Figures are portrayed with oversized and exaggerated features and their skin tone is depicted in black hand coloring.

Descriptive Information

Title
Romeo & Juliet / W.S. ; C. Hunt sc.
Call Number
E-North 38/GC024/19th-Century American Caricatures/Normal/19th c./Caricatures GA 2024.02999
Identifier
ark:/88435/dcrf55zm89p
Publisher
Cheapside, London : Published by Tregear, at his humourous Print Shop, [183-]
Language
English
Date Created
1831-1834
Extent
1 print : Hand colored aquatint and etching ; sheet 22.1 x 18 cm
Content Warning
Unspecified
Rights Statement
Copyright Not Evaluated
Notes
Title from caption below image; series title above image.
Princeton copy 1 Mounted in mat
Inscribed in upper left corner: No. 12.

Discovery Information

Subject
Juliet (Fictitious character)—Caricatures and cartoons
Romeo (Fictitious character)—Caricatures and cartoons
African Americans—Caricatures and cartoons
Philadelphia (Pa.)—Social life and customs—19th century

Physical Characteristics

File Count
3

Institutional Information

Collection
Omega Project
Selections from the Graphic Arts Collection
IIIF Manifest URL

https://figgy.princeton.edu/concern/scanned_resources/8265ba8d-8247-41ec-8e75-d1ba981d94d8/manifest