Shall I Fight or Not?

PrinterPrinted by D. W. Kellogg & Co. (American, 1830 - 1840)

PublisherPublished by D. W. Kellogg & Co. (American, 1830 - 1840)

Date1830-1840

MediumLithography; printer's ink on wove paper

DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (image height x width): 14 x 11 11/16in. (35.6 x 29.7cm) Sheet (height x width): 17 5/8 x 13 1/16in. (44.8 x 33.2cm)

ClassificationsGraphics

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Edward J. Carleton

Object number1961.80.4

DescriptionSix children stand behind a board fence in dilapidated condition. The boy in the center wears a long sleeved, high-waisted jacket attached with buttons to a pair of long trousers. His cap lies on the ground at his feet, near what may be a paper sack of candies or marbles. He has a collar in the form of a ruff and a ribbon bow at this neck. A small girl wearing a dress, a pinafore, and a broad-brimmed straw hat holds his right arm. A second boy leans on his left shoulder. Another small boy kneels at the left. A second girl at the right wears a dress with short puff sleeves, an apron, and a bonnet. She carries a baby on her back. At the left, a boy wearing long pants, suspenders, and a shirt, is rolling up the sleeve on his left arm and threatening the boy in the center with his fist. His coat and hat lie on the ground. A hoop and stick lie behind him. An additional boy stands on the far side of the fence, holding a jug with a cork in it on his left shoulder. Hollyhocks grow at the far right. Ivy grows on the chimney of a cottage with a thatched roof. A casement window in the gable is open. Additional houses and the square tower of a Gothic church are visible in the left background. A figure, probably a woman, stands on a porch, looking towards the children.

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