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Why Don't You Take It?

Subject Jefferson Davis American
Subject Ulysses S. Grant American
1861–64
Not on view
Currier & Ives produced many political satires during the Civil War. This example caricatures the Confederate leader Jefferson Davis, shown as a greyhound, who cringes away from an aggressive bulldog representing the Northern general Ulysses S. Grant. Between them sits a piece of "Prize beef" labeled "Washington."

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Why Don't You Take It?
  • Artist: Currier & Ives (American, active New York, 1857–1907)
  • Subject: Jefferson Davis (American, Fairview, Kentucky 1808–1889 New Orleans, Louisiana)
  • Subject: Ulysses S. Grant (American, Point Pleasant, Ohio 1822–1885 Mount McGregor, New York)
  • Date: 1861–64
  • Medium: Lithograph
  • Dimensions: sheet: 13 3/8 x 17 7/8 in. (34 x 45.4 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gift of A. S. Colgate, 1952
  • Object Number: 52.632.176
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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The Capture of Andre by John Paulding, David Williams and Isaac Van Wart, at Tarrytown, New York, September 23, 1780, Currier & Ives American, Hand-colored lithograph
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