The City Fireman's Veto! Written by a Chap vot knows 'ow! and respectfully dedicated to the abdicated Gotham Fire-Eaters!
Medium
Woodcut
Dimensions
sheet: 18 7/16 x 10 7/16 in. (46.9 x 26.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Edward W. C. Arnold Collection of New York Prints, Maps and Pictures, Bequest of Edward W. C. Arnold, 1954
Accession Number
54.90.628
Tags
Art Historical Context
This lively 1836 woodcut, titled *The City Fireman’s Veto!*, offers a humorous glimpse into the turbulent world of New York City’s volunteer fire companies. Created in the medium of woodcut—a popular, affordable printmaking technique that allowed sharp lines and bold imagery to reach a wide audience—the print satirizes the city’s “Gotham Fire-Eaters,” the often rowdy volunteer firefighters whose influence was beginning to wane. The dedication “to the abdicated” hints at political or organizational upheaval, while the curious presence of frogs among the caricatured men adds a layer of playful a...
About the Artist
James Gulick|Anonymous, American, 19th century (American|American) · 1801 |1800 –1861 |1900
American, Middlesex County, New Jersey 1801–1861 Cranbury, New Jersey|