“The Man-Monster”

Soon after Peter Sewally’s 1836 arrest, trial, and conviction on charges of grand larceny, Henry R. Robinson, a New York City lithographer, began to distribute this image of Sewally. Robinson was well known for producing and selling Whig-oriented political cartoons and multicolored prints, often depicting individuals involved in high-profile crimes. Robinson also purveyed pornography, for which police raided his shop a number of times. This print, combined with the text, depicted Sewally in order to appeal to customers willing to spend money for this memento of the trial.

Source: Lithograph issued by Henry R. Robinson. The Man-Monster. Artist unknown. Museum of the City of New York. 95.54.11, https://blog.mcny.org/2011/07/12/gender-bending-in-19th-century-new-york/; also in collection of National Museum of American History, at https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_324702.