The "Crowd" that "Scooped" the Pools

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 scene shows white men and Black (African-American) men surrounding the winning blanket-covered horse and its harness cart (sulky) race driver after a race victory. At center, two white men in dark suits and top hats are all smiles as they congratulate the driver. At right (next to the large sulky wheels): a caricatured Black man --a groom wearing a pink checked shirt and blue pants, and holding a blanket-- has his mouth wide open in glee as he dances a jig and looks up at his hat that he has just tossed into the air. At left, two caricatured Black grooms in colorful, patched clothing, laughingly hug the horse's neck;. Beside them is a Black boy doing a handstand next to a bucket of water that has been knocked over. In the background, more white men happily converse about their winning racing bets. .



Nathaniel Currier (1813–1888), who established a successful New York-based lithography firm 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. In 1857, Currier made James Merritt Ives (1824–1895) a business partner. People eagerly acquired Currier & Ives lithographs, such as those featuring spectacular American landscapes, rural and city views, marines, railroads, portraits, domestic life and numerous other subjects, as an inexpensive way to decorate their homes or business establishments. The firm operated until 1907. Until the 1880s, images were printed in monochrome, then hand-colored by women who worked for the company; later prints were printed in color. Thomas B. Worth, who was noted for illustrations of horses and horse racing, designed many images for Currier & Ives.