2023-03 HCA Auctions
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/8/2023
Published by and withdrawn from PUNCH, a London Publication, July 1861, single sheet, printed one side, 10-1/2' x 14" is striking print titled "Caesar et Imperator". The dancing slave congratulates Napoleon, "Ah Massa Napoleon, you al'ays was de friend ob freedom - now you am a man and broder". July 1861 in The Times that the Emperor Napoleon 'puts down the Slave trade carried on on the coast of Africa by French agents under the pretext of hiring and service'. Here, this news is greeted by the stereotyped and childlike African native who grasps Napoleon's hand warmly and greets him as a brother. The British public were quite solidly against the rights of the Southern States to own slaves. However, this cartoon does display some signs of contemporary views of African features as can be seen in the 'tribal' dance and the almost prehensile toes, especially on the left foot. The condescending attitude to blacks is also evident in the speech, including a parody of the abolitionist slogan, 'Am I Not a Man and a Brother?'
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