Description:
Print (etching, line engraving, and aquatint) entitled "The Hartford Convention, or Leap No Leap", engraved by William Charles, the leading cartoonist in the early 19th C. Moving from Scotland in 1806, Charles brought with him the English style and tradition fostered by Thomas Rowlandson and James Gillray, foremost practitioners of caricature in Great Britain during the 18th century. The subject of the print is the dissension in New England throughout the War of 1812. In late 1814, twenty-six delegates from the New England states met in Hartford to discuss several problems confronting the region; their primary concern was to force the federal government to fund the defense of New England. The delegates to the convention also formulated seven new constitutional ammendments, among which were an increase in the Federalist party representation in Congress, a limit of sixty days for embargos, and the exclusion of foreigners from national elective offices. However, the popular but incorrect assumption was that the convention was a plotting session. The assumption is depicted graphically through the publication of this print with its simple iconography: The English king urges the representatives of the New England states to secede; Harrison Gary Otis and Timothy Pickering reiterate the king's message; the New England representatives hesitate over their decision. The importance of the Hartford Convention was twofold: It continued the view of states' rights as the refuge of sectional groups, and it sealed the destruction of the Federalist party, which never regained its lost prestige. The balloon captions include: "Poor little I, what will become of me? this leap is of a frightful size- I sink into despondency"; "I cannot Brother Mass; let me pray and fast some time longer- little Rhode will jump the first"; "What a dangerous leap!! but we must jump Brother Conn"; "I Strongly and most fervently pray for the success of this great leap which will change my vulgar name into that of my Lord Essex..." The catalogue of the Library of Congress further writes about this print: "Charles's satire attacks the Hartford Convention, a series of secret meetings of New England Federalists held in December 1814. The artist caricatures radical secessionist leader Timothy Pickering and lampoons the inclinations toward secession by convention members Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, alleging encouragement from English King George III. In the center, on a shore kneels Timothy Pickering, with hands clasped praying, "I, Strongly and most fervently pray for the success of this great leap which will change my vulgar name into that of my Lord of Essex. God save the King." On a precipice above him, a man, representing Massachusetts, pulls two others (Rhode Island and Connecticut) toward the edge. Rhode Island: "Poor little I, what will become of me? this leap is of a frightful size -- I sink into despondency." Connecticut: "I cannot Brother Mass; let me pray and fast some time longer -- little Rhode will jump the first." Massachusetts: "What a dangerous leap!!! but we must jump Brother Conn." Across the water, on the right, sits George III with arms stretched out toward the men on the cliff. He calls, "O'tis my Yankey boys! jump in my fine fellows; plenty molasses and Codfish; plenty of goods to Smuggle; Honours, titles and Nobility into the bargain." On the left, below the cliff, is a medallion inscribed with the names of Perry, McDonough, Hull, and other heroes of the War of 1812 and decorated with a ribbon which reads, "This is the produce of the land they wish to abandon."
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2003.19 |
