An Oyster Supper.

PrinterPrinted by Elijah Chapman Kellogg American, 1811 - 1881

PublisherPublished by Elijah Chapman Kellogg American, 1811 - 1881

PublisherPublished by Horace Thayer & Co. American, 1852

Date1852-1853

MediumLithography; printer's ink and watercolor on wove paper

DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (image height x width): 8 1/16 x 12 7/16in. (20.5 x 31.6cm)
Sheet (height x width): 10 3/8 x 14 1/16in. (26.4 x 35.7cm)

ClassificationsGraphics

Credit LineMuseum purchase

DescriptionFour men sit around a round table. All appear to be drunk. Three of the men, at the left, center, and right, appear to be singing. The second man from the left appears to have fallen asleep with his head resting on his hands. A fifth man stands behind the table with his right hand resting on a seated man's shoulder pointing to a clock on the wall with his left thumb. All wear coats, vests, and shirts. The man on the left wears eyeglasses. An empty chair is in the left foreground. Eight champagne or wine bottles, five champagne flutes, and five wineglasses are on the table. One of the wine glasses is empty and lies on its side. The other glasses are all half full. A plate contains oysters on the half shell; another plate contains half a lemon. A tablecloth is sliding off the table at the right. The clock indicates that the time is half past twelve. What appears to be a printed broadside is on the wall at the left, apparently pasted to the patterned wallpaper.

Object number1980.43.2

InscribedOn recto, lithographed title beneath image, "AN OYSTER SUPPER. / WE WON'T GO HOME TILL MORNING" / 493". In pencil: lower right, "C / L"; lower right, "$10".

On verso, in pencil: upper left, "Hurlode / Blk"; lower left, accession number and "Drw 38"; lower right, accession number.NotesSource Note: The visual source is probably a British caricature. The subtitle is derived from a song written by William Clifton, published in Boston by Oliver Ditson in 1842. (Finlay 3/29/2004)

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