'a parody of democratic politics in the months preceding the party's 1848 national convention. Specifically, the artist ridicules the rivalry within the party between free soil or anti-slavery interests, which upheld the wilmot proviso, and regular, conservative democrats or hunkers. " the "gilpins" (named after the hero of william cowper's 1785 "diverting history of john gilpin," who also loses control of his mount, to comic effect) are regular democrats lewis cass, thomas hart benton, and levi woodbury, who ride a giant sow down "salt river lane" away from the "head quarters of the northern democracy". ' ("salt river" is a symbol of political doom. ). Date: 1848.
Loading...
