The Majestic and Graceful Giraffes, or Cameleopards, with some Rare Animals of the Gazelle Species

The Majestic and Graceful Giraffes, or Cameleopards, with some Rare Animals of the Gazelle Species

Edward Williams Clay

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This elegant image was created as an announcement for an exhibition of animals-a gemsbok, an eland, a bontebok, a syrian goat and its kid, and two giraffes-that took place on Broadway near Broome Street in 1838. According to the accompanying text, the animals were captured in South Africa and brought to New York by John Clayton, who signed the print in black ink at the bottom. Clay, a Philadelphia native who moved to New York in 1837, was best known for his political caricatures but also created more naturalistic lithographs like this one. The keeper who tends the animals wears a turban and tunic over loose trousers, associated with North Africa or Turkey.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Majestic and Graceful Giraffes, or Cameleopards, with some Rare Animals of the Gazelle SpeciesThe Majestic and Graceful Giraffes, or Cameleopards, with some Rare Animals of the Gazelle SpeciesThe Majestic and Graceful Giraffes, or Cameleopards, with some Rare Animals of the Gazelle SpeciesThe Majestic and Graceful Giraffes, or Cameleopards, with some Rare Animals of the Gazelle SpeciesThe Majestic and Graceful Giraffes, or Cameleopards, with some Rare Animals of the Gazelle Species

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.