The Hand-Writing On the Wall, Or the Modern Belshazzar
Medium
Lithograph
Dimensions
Image: 9 3/8 × 14 3/16 in. (23.8 × 36 cm) Sheet: 13 7/16 × 18 1/8 in. (34.2 × 46 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of A. S. Colgate, 1952
Accession Number
52.632.213
Tags
Art Historical Context
**The Hand-Writing On the, Or the Modern Belazzar** is a striking 1865 lithograph produced by the renowned New York firm Currier & Ives, attribution to Jefferson Davis in its satirical context. Measuring about 9½ by 14 inches, print exemplifies the firm's mastery of color lithography—a technique that allowed for affordable, mass-produced images blending text and vivid illustration. Currier & Ives specialized in timely scenes of American life, and during the Civil War, they often created Union-leaning propaganda that captured public sentiment through humor and exaggeration. The title draws fro...
About the Artist
Jefferson Davis|Currier & Ives (American|American) · 1857 |1808 –1907 |1889
American, active New York, 1857–1907|American, Fairview, Kentucky 1808–1889 New Orleans, Louisiana