A Darktown Race -- Won by a Neck: "Golly Dat Gyraffy Neck Does de Bizness!"
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.
This print depicts caricatured Black (African American) men at a rural horse racetrack at the finish of a race. Two jockeys--a plump one holding a branch as a crop astride a white horse, and a tall one riding a brown horse-- are tied neck-to-neck as their horses race to the finish line. On the inside track, the lanky jockey extends his long neck so that his head crosses the finish line first. In the background, three judges witness the win with open-mouthed amazement. The portly judge, wearing a brown jacket over his plaid vest and pants, appears to rise up and say the words of the subtitle caption imprinted beneath the image. The two judges in the makeshift "Judges Stand" knock their heads together causing their top hats to tilt askew.
Nathaniel Currier (1813–1888), whose successful New York-based lithography firm began in 1835, produced thousands of 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 (1824–1895), the firm's accountant since 1852 and Charles's brother-in-law, was made a business partner. Subsequently renamed Currier & Ives, the firm continued via their successors until 1907.
This print depicts caricatured Black (African American) men at a rural horse racetrack at the finish of a race. Two jockeys--a plump one holding a branch as a crop astride a white horse, and a tall one riding a brown horse-- are tied neck-to-neck as their horses race to the finish line. On the inside track, the lanky jockey extends his long neck so that his head crosses the finish line first. In the background, three judges witness the win with open-mouthed amazement. The portly judge, wearing a brown jacket over his plaid vest and pants, appears to rise up and say the words of the subtitle caption imprinted beneath the image. The two judges in the makeshift "Judges Stand" knock their heads together causing their top hats to tilt askew.
Nathaniel Currier (1813–1888), whose successful New York-based lithography firm began in 1835, produced thousands of 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 (1824–1895), the firm's accountant since 1852 and Charles's brother-in-law, was made a business partner. Subsequently renamed Currier & Ives, the firm continued via their successors until 1907.
Artwork Details
- Title: A Darktown Race -- Won by a Neck: "Golly Dat Gyraffy Neck Does de Bizness!"
- Publisher: Currier & Ives (American, active New York, 1857–1907)
- Date: 1892
- Medium: Hand-colored lithograph, with touches of gum arabic
- Dimensions: Image: 9 1/8 × 13 5/8 in. (23.2 × 34.6 cm)
Image and image: 10 in. × 13 5/8 in. (25.4 × 34.6 cm)
Sheet: 13 5/8 × 17 7/8 in. (34.6 × 45.4 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of A. S. Colgate, 1952
- Object Number: 52.632.89
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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