De Brack Dog Wins!

The late nineteenth-century Darktown prints by Currier & Ives depict racist stereotypes that are offensive and disturbing. The Metropolitan Museum of Art preserves such works to shed light on their historical context and to enable the study and evaluation of racism.

In a humble, candlelit interior, this print shows two caricatured groups of Black (African American) men (i.e. opposing groups of bettors) watching the final moments of a dog fight from behind low railings on either side of the room. Many of them wear colorful shirts in reds, yellows, or green. At left, nine losing bettors are seated (or standing) open-mouthed with dismay. At right, eight winning bettors jump up and cheer: one pair hugs each other, several toss their hats into the air, while an older man dressed in black raises his arms in glee (a closed umbrella in his right hand). At center, a small black dog stands over the lifeless body of a white dog.

Nathaniel Currier, whose successful New York-based lithography firm began in 1835, produced thousands of hand-colored prints in various sizes that together create a vivid panorama of mid-to-late nineteenth century American life and its history. People eagerly acquired such lithographs featuring picturesque scenery, rural and city views, ships, railroads, portraits, hunting and fishing scenes, domestic life and numerous other subjects, as an inexpensive way to decorate their homes or business establishments. As the firm expanded, Nathaniel included his younger brother Charles in the business. In 1857, James Merritt Ives (the firm's accountant since 1852 and Charles's brother-in-law) was made a business partner; subsequently renamed Currier & Ives, the firm continued until 1907.