County Election
1854
Medium
Engraving hand-colored with watercolor on cream chine laid down on cream wove plate paper
Dimensions
Image: 55.6 × 76.2 cm (21 15/16 × 30 in.); Sheet: 70.8 × 93.8 cm (27 7/8 × 36 15/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
151565
Art Historical Context
"County Election" is a large-scale engraving created by John Sartain in 1854, capturing a bustling scene of American voters gathered at the polls. As a prominent Philadelphia-based printmaker, Sartain specialized in translating popular paintings into widely accessible prints, allowing images of contemporary life to reach audiences beyond major cities. The work's expansive dimensions—over 21 by 30 inches in the image area—emphasize its ambition to convey the energy and social dynamics of mid-nineteenth-century democracy. The print was produced through meticulous engraving techniques, then deli...