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The Last Ditch of the Chivalry, or a President in Petticoats

Publisher Currier & Ives American
Sitter Jefferson Davis American
1865
Not on view
During the closing days of the American Civil War Northern satirists often showed the defeated Confederate President Jefferson Davis trying to slip through enemy lines wearing women's clothing. After Robert E. Lee surrended on April 9, 1865, Davis evaded capture for a month, pursued by Union troops who believed he had plotted the assassination of President Lincoln. On May 10th he was finally arrested in Georgia wearing his wife's overcoat, thrown on as he rushed out of the house. Northern tabloids embellished this detail to described Davis in a dress, inspiring prints like this one. Challenge Southern claims of gallantry and chivarly, the image echoes a popular song titled "Jeff in Petticoats." Here, the subject carries a bag of gold as he runs from Union soliders who have recognized their quarry by his boots. Standing to one side, Davis's wife warns the soldiers not to make her husband angry.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Last Ditch of the Chivalry, or a President in Petticoats
  • Publisher: Currier & Ives (American, active New York, 1857–1907)
  • Sitter: Jefferson Davis (American, Fairview, Kentucky 1808–1889 New Orleans, Louisiana)
  • Sitter: Varina Anne Davis (American, 1826–1906)
  • Date: 1865
  • Medium: Lithograph
  • Dimensions: Image: 8 7/8 × 14 15/16 in. (22.5 × 38 cm)
    Sheet: 13 9/16 in. × 18 in. (34.4 × 45.7 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gift of Julia Newman, 1955
  • Object Number: 55.587.5
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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