The Last Ditch of the Chivalry, or a President in Petticoats

Varina Anne Davis|Jefferson Davis|Currier & Ives

1865 · Lithograph · Drawings and Prints

During the closing days of the American Civil War Northern satirists often showed the defeated Confederate President Jefferson Davis trying to slip through enemy lines wearing women's clothing. After Robert E. Lee surrended on April 9, 1865, Davis evaded capture for a month, pursued by Union troops who believed he had plotted the assassination of President Lincoln. On May 10th he was finally arrested in Georgia wearing his wife's overcoat, thrown on as he rushed out of the house. Northern tabloids embellished this detail to described Davis in a dress, inspiring prints like this one. Challenge Southern claims of gallantry and chivarly, the image echoes a popular song titled "Jeff in Petticoats." Here, the subject carries a bag of gold as he runs from Union soliders who have recognized their quarry by his boots. Standing to one side, Davis's wife warns the soldiers not to make her husband angry.

Artist

Varina Anne Davis|Jefferson Davis|Currier & Ives

Date

1865

Medium

Lithograph

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Gift of A. S. Colgate, 1952