Steamboat Veto Boxc. 18325 1/2 × 13 × 7 5/8"Paint, gold leaf, and bronze powder stenciling on woodGift of the Historical Society of Early American Decoration76.5.201550694486Artist unidentifiedContainersThe American Folk Art Museum believes this work to be in the public domain.http://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster24596United StatesNew YorkThree Dimensional WorkseMuseum - Collection HighlightsIn 1832, Henry Clay made an impassioned speech before the Senate, denouncing President Andrew Jackson’s veto of the bill to recharter the Second Bank of the United States. In his castigation of what he considered a mischievous use of the power of the veto, Clay characterized the bank as “a mere vehicle; just as much so as the steamboat is the vehicle which transports our produce to the great mart of New Orleans, and not the grower of that produce.” The steamboat depicted in freehand bronze powder on the underside of this box lid has streams of smoke trailing from the two stacks. The name “Veto” is emblazoned over the side paddle wheel and may be a reference to the Bank War that was dividing the country into factions. This box is not unique in addressing the polarization; Ammi Phillips, for instance, painted a virtual army of black-suited, stern-faced New Yorkers between 1829 and 1845, men holding newspapers such as the Albany Argus and the (Poughkeepsie) Anti-Bank Democrat. The exterior of the box, decorated with typical stenciled bronze powder motifs of pinecones, strawberries, multipetaled flowers, and leaves, gives no hint of the political sentiment discreetly hidden inside when the lid is closed.
Stacy C. Hollander, "Steamboat Veto Box," in American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 325.
A classical vocabulary influenced by archaeological discoveries in ancient parts of the world became the standard of elegance in European decorative arts by the late eighteenth century. References gleaned from artifacts discovered in these sites were interpreted in gold leaf and painted decoration on furniture, decorative objects, and architecture. The taste was introduced into the urban American market by the turn of the nineteenth century, and as it became more widespread, expensive and labor-intensive materials and decorations were replaced through less costly and timesaving production techniques.
The mahogany graining and stenciled embellishments of flowers, leaves, and strawberries in tinted bronze powder on this box are typical of the simplified and desirable Empire-style that was practiced in areas removed from the major urban centers, especially upstate New York. It is not known who made the box nor for whom it was intended; however, it holds a secret political sentiment when the lid is opened, revealing a sidewheel steamship with the word "Veto" written on the paddle box. This is likely a reference to the rechartering of the Second Bank of the United States, an issue that erupted in advance of the presidential campaign of 1836, pitting President Andrew Jackson against Senator Henry Clay and dividing the nation into elite and anti-elite factions. Jackson’s suspicion of the power held by the Second Bank of the United States, and his fear that it could be politicized, was well known. The charter was not actually due to expire until 1836, but Clay, Nicholas Biddle, president of the bank, and others who supported the role of the bank in centralizing and stabilizing American finances correctly gambled that the early recharter would receive little resistance in the Senate and the House of Representatives. However, they miscalculated President Jackson’s vehement distrust of the bank and his fear at the political weight it could wield. After it was passed, Jackson used the power of the presidential veto to quash the bill. In response, Henry Clay passionately denounced the President’s veto as "mischievous," characterizing the bank as "a mere vehicle; just as much so as the steamboat is the vehicle which transports our produce to the great mart of New Orleans, and not the grower of that produce." The Second Bank of the United States became a central issue in the presidential campaign. Jackson won an overwhelming victory, presenting Clay, Biddle, and other cronies as the entrenched aristocracy of big government and in direct contraposition to his own anti-elite populist stance.
Stacy C. Hollander, "Steamboat Veto Box," exhibition copy for American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection. Stacy C. Hollander, curator. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2020.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.orghttp://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster24596http://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster24596http://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster2459618271837 76 5 2 In 1832, Henry Clay made an impassioned speech before the Senate, denouncing President Andrew Jackson’s veto of the bill to recharter the Second Bank of the United States. In his castigation of what he considered a mischievous use of the power of the veto, Clay characterized the bank as “a mere vehicle; just as much so as the steamboat is the vehicle which transports our produce to the great mart of New Orleans, and not the grower of that produce.” The steamboat depicted in freehand bronze powder on the underside of this box lid has streams of smoke trailing from the two stacks. The name “Veto” is emblazoned over the side paddle wheel and may be a reference to the Bank War that was dividing the country into factions. This box is not unique in addressing the polarization; Ammi Phillips, for instance, painted a virtual army of black-suited, stern-faced New Yorkers between 1829 and 1845, men holding newspapers such as the Albany Argus and the (Poughkeepsie) Anti-Bank Democrat. The exterior of the box, decorated with typical stenciled bronze powder motifs of pinecones, strawberries, multipetaled flowers, and leaves, gives no hint of the political sentiment discreetly hidden inside when the lid is closed.
Stacy C. Hollander, "Steamboat Veto Box," in American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 325.
A classical vocabulary influenced by archaeological discoveries in ancient parts of the world became the standard of elegance in European decorative arts by the late eighteenth century. References gleaned from artifacts discovered in these sites were interpreted in gold leaf and painted decoration on furniture, decorative objects, and architecture. The taste was introduced into the urban American market by the turn of the nineteenth century, and as it became more widespread, expensive and labor-intensive materials and decorations were replaced through less costly and timesaving production techniques.
The mahogany graining and stenciled embellishments of flowers, leaves, and strawberries in tinted bronze powder on this box are typical of the simplified and desirable Empire-style that was practiced in areas removed from the major urban centers, especially upstate New York. It is not known who made the box nor for whom it was intended; however, it holds a secret political sentiment when the lid is opened, revealing a sidewheel steamship with the word "Veto" written on the paddle box. This is likely a reference to the rechartering of the Second Bank of the United States, an issue that erupted in advance of the presidential campaign of 1836, pitting President Andrew Jackson against Senator Henry Clay and dividing the nation into elite and anti-elite factions. Jackson’s suspicion of the power held by the Second Bank of the United States, and his fear that it could be politicized, was well known. The charter was not actually due to expire until 1836, but Clay, Nicholas Biddle, president of the bank, and others who supported the role of the bank in centralizing and stabilizing American finances correctly gambled that the early recharter would receive little resistance in the Senate and the House of Representatives. However, they miscalculated President Jackson’s vehement distrust of the bank and his fear at the political weight it could wield. After it was passed, Jackson used the power of the presidential veto to quash the bill. In response, Henry Clay passionately denounced the President’s veto as "mischievous," characterizing the bank as "a mere vehicle; just as much so as the steamboat is the vehicle which transports our produce to the great mart of New Orleans, and not the grower of that produce." The Second Bank of the United States became a central issue in the presidential campaign. Jackson won an overwhelming victory, presenting Clay, Biddle, and other cronies as the entrenched aristocracy of big government and in direct contraposition to his own anti-elite populist stance.
Stacy C. Hollander, "Steamboat Veto Box," exhibition copy for American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection. Stacy C. Hollander, curator. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2020.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.org