NO PASSAGE FOR A DEMOCRATIC NEGRO! – Color Lithograph Published in PUCK Magazine by the Lithographer Keppler & Schwarzmann (Signed on the Plate). 1887.
An early scene of Black Antisemitism: On the left, African American James Campbell Matthews (1844-1930) carrying his personal briefcase (labeled with his name and “Records”), as he attempts to enter the U.S. Senate. In the center, a large group of white senators block his entry into the legislative chamber, with one in the background holding a sign reading: “No Salvation for the Negro, Outside the G.O.P”—referring to the Republican Party in the United States. The names of the senators are displayed on their lapels.
James Campbell Matthews (November 6, 1844 – November 1, 1930) a lawyer and judge from Albany, New York. He was the first African American to graduate from New York Law School. In the late 1890s, he was elected a city judge—the highest judicial office attained by an African American at that time.
In his youth, Matthews was raised by Lydia Mott and Phebe Jones after his parents died in 1861—both were active in the abolitionist movement. Despite the segregation in Albany schools, Matthews succeeded in gaining admission to a school attended by white students and was awarded a scholarship to Albany Academy. As an outstanding student, he won the award for the best English essay and the Beck Medal for literature upon his graduation in 1864.
Most African Americans who managed to vote and participate in the political process during the 1800s joined the Republican Party, which was viewed favorably as the party that abolished slavery during the American Civil War. Matthews initially was active as a Republican but later became known for his decision to join the Albany Democratic Party.
This lithograph was published after the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate refused to confirm Matthews as Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia – a position previously held by the great human rights activist Frederick Douglass – claiming that Matthews was influencing African Americans to show loyalty to the Democratic Party in elections. Shortly thereafter, in 1895, Matthews won election as a judge of the Albany City Court, holding the highest judicial office of any African American at the time. He served until 1899, when the Albany Republicans won the city’s elections and regained control of the municipal government. Matthews passed away in Albany on November 1, 1930.
Size: 52×34 cm. Fold mark in the center. General condition good – very good.
