Jefferson Davis Upside Down Topsy Turvy Political Cartoon Caricature Card, 1800s Civil War Politics


This United States Civil War-era cartoon card measures 4 by 2.5 inches. The image itself is about 3 by 2.25 inches.

Turned one way, it reads “Jeff Davis as he was.” Turned the other way, it reads “Jeff Davis as he is.”

It appears to be distributed by “John P Hunt, Wholesale Agent, Masonic Hall, Pittsburgh.” There is some additional printing or credit on the other end of the card but it is unreadable.

An “upside down” or “topsy-turvy” is a picture that can be seen differently from a different direction. A good example of a topsy-turvy is this lampoon of Jefferson Davis (1808-1889), the first and only president of the Southern Confederacy. When Davis is going to war (as he was), he is seen as a forward-leaning soldier but when the card is flipped, Davis is returning from war (as he is) as a jackass. During the American Civil War, a number of these topsy-turvy's were produced to make fun of politicians and military generals, among others.

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Please see the photos and feel free to ask questions. Thanks!


IMPORTANT INFO - PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU BUY: 

Item Descriptions: All items I list as vintage, antique and/or collectible have had previous lives and show wear appropriate to their age, some more than others. Most items come from my family estates.

In most cases, I leave the cleaning and polishing, or not, up to the buyer. I describe each item honestly and to the best of my ability, however, I am definitely NOT an expert. Please read item descriptions carefully before you bid and feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. 

Shipping: I am happy to combine shipping whenever possible.

I cannot combine shipping on items that are especially fragile and need to be packaged separately or items purchased under the eBay Buy It Now offer.  

Because I am generally selling quite old items, I prefer to ship Priority Mail in order to reduce the time fragile items are in the post. Whenever I am able to safely ship using a less expensive option I will do so.

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