Etching, 1928. 249x178 mm; 9 3/4x7 inches, full margins. Seventh state (of 7). Edition of 110 (from an intended edition of 100). Signed, titled and inscribed "100 proofs" in pencil, lower margin. A superb, dark impression.
Sloan's (1871-1951) depiction of a crowded New York street outside the headquarters of Tammany Hall, a fraternal society formed in 1789 that became a champion of the working class and was crucial to helping immigrants, especially the Irish, rise in politics in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The society was originally named for Chief Tamanend, a leader of the Lenape people during the colonial era, and its entirely white membership appropriated native terms, such as "wigwam," into club lingo. By the time of Sloan's etching, the Tammany Society was a strong supporter of the Democratic Party but also known for corruption. Morse 235.
