Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 Dignified retirement: parody on the house that Jack built, -- fitted to the times
Order a pdf of this item here.
Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02209 Author/Creator: Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 Place Written: s.l. Type: Broadside Date: circa 1809 Pagination: 1 p. ; 45 x 22.3 cm. Order a Copy
A parody of the nursery rhyme styled upon eighteenth century children's chapbooks making fun of Jefferson's retirement at a time of national crisis. The figures are rough allegories of Jefferson (alternately a king then a priest, retiring to a "Mountain" [Monticello] to study philosophy), the American navy (de-commissioned by Jefferson), the Embargo, the British Fleet and the American volunteer army. The woodcut of the coach is printed upside down to represent how the Embargo "has turned all things up side down, and stopped the wheels of national prosperity." The title may come from Peter Pencil's 1809 caricature "Non Intercourse or Dignified Retirement" Noble E. Cunningham, Jr., The Image of Thomas Jefferson in the Public Eye, p. 121.
Citation Guidelines for Online Resources
The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.