Young Sol and Greely, from Harper's Weekly Possibly 1869

Curator: At first glance, this image feels rather... confrontational. It’s jarring to see such exaggerated features, like something from a fever dream. Editor: It’s a lithograph titled "Young Sol and Greely," likely from 1869, published in Harper's Weekly. Frank Beard is the artist. What strikes me is the immediate question of process. It is an engraving meant for mass reproduction, a social and political message delivered right into people’s hands. Curator: Yes, and that accessibility shapes the image itself. Look at how "Young Sol," a personified sun, interacts with Horace Greeley, a prominent political figure caricatured here. Sol offers a shine, positioned almost as servile labor. It's rife with symbolism! Greeley's rejection carries the weight of ideological refusal, suggesting themes of elitism and social divide, especially regarding those who literally provide enlightenment. Editor: I agree it speaks to class division, made evident by the 'SUN' marked bootblack box clutched in young Sol's hand, ready to be of service but spurned, in the eye of the beholder. And we can see the marks and the texture of the printing process—the quick, thin, economical strokes of line work required to get a point across in high-volume production. Even the bare feet of the 'Sun' draw our attention to his precarious economic standing. Curator: It certainly begs us to examine those visual cues! Notice how Greeley is dressed in fine suit with cravat and holding a rolled up document, standing proudly on land that would also probably be his. Consider that in this era, visual literacy was deeply intertwined with social standing. Cartoons such as these tapped into shared cultural knowledge to reinforce certain power dynamics, with symbolic figures such as the sun becoming powerful icons, reinterpreted depending on their deployment within specific ideological agendas. Editor: These illustrations shaped public sentiment precisely because of their widespread dissemination. This lithograph reminds us that "art" existed not only in rarefied galleries, but also in everyday print, shaping opinions. The question isn't just 'what' is shown but 'how' and 'where' it was consumed, implicating art squarely within the structures of capitalism. Curator: And to further underline this sentiment the language included underneath, the words between “Young Sol” and “Greeley” further solidify that dynamic we are both pointing toward here. "Shine yer Boots – shine 'em up." Then on the part of “Greely”: "Go 'way, boy, go 'way. I never have my boots shined." All laid bare and explicit as part of this cartoon’s powerful iconography. Editor: It’s an efficient piece of communication, connecting the local with broader ideological issues about economics, political hubris and personal ego and the cost of cheap labor! Curator: A stark and evocative commentary, indeed! Editor: Certainly one that demands that we consider its own making within our consumption of its intended symbolic purposes.