JUSTICE
Date1797
Engraver
Thomas Clarke
fl. 1797-1801
MediumHand colored line engraving and etching on wove paper
DimensionsFramed OH: 6 5/8"x OW: 4 1/2"
Credit LineGift of Alvin and Davida Deutsch in honor of Kim Ivey
Object number2008-117
DescriptionUpper margin reads: JUSTICEInscription on plinth reads: Justice her equal scale aloft displays:/ And Rights both human and divine she weighs:/ But laws no safety to the weak afford./ Unless the scale is balanced by the sword.
Lower margin reads: T. Clarke Sculp.t Philadephia[sic], 1797Label TextOriginally printed for The American Universal Magazine, dated May 29, 1797, this depiction of the allegorical figure of Justice was engraved to serve as the frontispiece for the May 29, 1797 edition which contained an essay on Justice as its leading piece. The American Universal Magazine was published by radical British émigré Richard Lee in Philadelphia between 1797 and 1798. Thomas Clarke contributed a number of engravings for the magazine. Little is known about Clarke’s life. He is believed to have immigrated to America from England and worked between 1797 and 1800; working in both Philadelphia and New York City.
The American Universal Magazine, No. XIII Monday, May 29, 1797, Vol. II published in Philadelphia by Richard Lee (No. 4, Chestnut Street, near the Wharf).
ca. 1840