Captured at Last (June 3, 1875). Phil. Sheridan. "I am not afraid."

• Price: $50.00
  

  SKU: 91974

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• ARTIST: Thomas Nast

• PUBLISHER: Published by Harper's Weekly. June 5, 1875.

• MEDIUM: Wood engraving,

  DATE: 1875.

• EDITION SIZE: Image size 10 7/8 x 9 1/4" (27.6 x 23.5 cm).

• DESCRIPTION: On June 3, 1875, Union General Philip Sheridan married Irene Rucker, daughter of Army Quartermaster General Daniel H. Rucker, and the event was commemorated—and humorously teased—by political cartoonist Thomas Nast. In the cartoon, Sheridan is portrayed as a reluctant groom captured by a troop of cherubic “Banditti,” a satirical jab at the Louisiana White League with whom Sheridan had recently clashed. Two cherubs restrain him with garlands, while another drags him toward “The Union Alter” with a garland chain. Above him, one cherub readies an arrow, and another, standing on the altar, aims his bow, signaling Cupid’s attack. A bespectacled cherub labeled “Court (ship) Marshal” holds a paper, adding a military pun to the matrimonial scene. Posters on the altar declare, “wedding rings must not be broken” and “To be shot on the spot this [heart symbol] is the spot. Unconditional Surrender,” furthering the metaphor of romantic entrapment as military conquest. A flag reading “Union for Ever” hangs above Sheridan’s head, humorously tying his personal union to the broader theme of national unity following the Civil War. After their wedding, Sheridan and Irene settled in Washington, D.C., and went on to have four children: Mary in 1876, twin daughters Irene and Louise in 1877, and Philip Jr. in 1880.

• ADDITIONAL INFO: This piece is in a 12 x 17 inch archival mylar for handling.

• CONDITION: Good condition, save for foxing in the margins.

• REFERENCE:

• CATEGORIES: 18th-19th Century Subjects , Caricatures and Satirical , Thomas Nast