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"The scorpion is one of the most stupid as well as one of the most venomous of insects. It carries its sting in its tail--never biting as is supposed by the vulgar...

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LIBRARY DIVISION
The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection

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COLLECTION
Wallach Division Picture Collection

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SUB-COLLECTION
American History -- 1860s

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This Item

"The scorpion is one of the most stupid as well as one of the most venomous of insects. It carries its sting in its tail--never biting as is supposed by the vulgar...

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Title
"The scorpion is one of the most stupid as well as one of the most venomous of insects. It carries its sting in its tail--never biting as is supposed by the vulgar...
Additional title: Large scorpion surrounded by troops and steamboats
Additional title: Large scorpion with a cotton bale as its head and a lighted torch as its stinger is surrounded by naval and land forces
Collection

Wallach Division Picture Collection

American History -- 1860s

Dates / Origin
Date Issued: 1862-05-24
Library locations
The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection
Shelf locator: PC AME-186
Topics
Scorpions
History -- United States -- Civil War, 1861-1865
United States -- 1860-1869
Warships -- United States -- 1860-1869
Cotton industry
Economic aspects of war
Genres
Editorial cartoons
Notes
Content: Printed on border: "Frank Leslie's illustrated newspaper, May 24, 1862." "96." "'The scorpion is one of the most stupid as well as one of the most venomous of insects. It carries its sting in its tail--never biting as is supposed by the vulgar. When 'cornered,' and no avenue of escape appearing, it usually stings itself to death--striking its poisonous sting into its own head, which is the softest and consequently the most vulnerable part of its body.' -- Child's book of natural history."
Bibliographic history: This cartoon satirizes the South's dependence on what they referred to as "King Cotton", the region's main cash crop that was needed by the textile mills of England. In the picture, the scorpion, representing cotton, is surrounded by the troops and ships of the Union's coastal blockade of the South. Unable to export their product, the South will be forced to destroy it themselves or see it rot on their wharves. This dilemma is compared to a myth which says that a cornered scorpion will sting itself to death rather than submit to its enemy.
Physical Description
Wood engravings
Extent: 1 print : b ; 18 x 26 cm. (7 x 10 1/4 in.)
Type of Resource
Still image
Identifiers
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b17613364
Barcode: 33333159319314
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): b52ffa90-c531-012f-f658-58d385a7bc34
Rights Statement
The copyright and related rights status of this item has been reviewed by The New York Public Library, but we were unable to make a conclusive determination as to the copyright status of the item. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use.

Item timeline of events

  • 1862: Issued
  • 2014: Digitized
  • 2024: Found by you!
  • 2025

MLA Format

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. ""The scorpion is one of the most stupid as well as one of the most venomous of insects. It carries its sting in its tail--never biting as is supposed by the vulgar..." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1862-05-24. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e0-f83e-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Chicago/Turabian Format

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. ""The scorpion is one of the most stupid as well as one of the most venomous of insects. It carries its sting in its tail--never biting as is supposed by the vulgar..." New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed September 13, 2024. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e0-f83e-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

APA Format

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. (1862-05-24). "The scorpion is one of the most stupid as well as one of the most venomous of insects. It carries its sting in its tail--never biting as is supposed by the vulgar... Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e0-f83e-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Wikipedia Citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e0-f83e-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99 | title= (still image) "The scorpion is one of the most stupid as well as one of the most venomous of insects. It carries its sting in its tail--never biting as is supposed by the vulgar..., (1862-05-24) |author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library |accessdate=September 13, 2024 |publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>

"The scorpion is one of the most stupid as well as one of the most venomous of insects. It carries its sting in its tail--never biting as is supposed by the vulgar...