There were no big national or citywide contests on November 5, 1907. Teddy Roosevelt had been reelected president in 1904, and mayor George McClellan was safely ensconced in his second term.
So who were these New Yorkers, depicted by John Sloan in “Election Night 1907,” so boisterous and excited?
Sloan, who lived in Greenwich Village, later described the scene he encountered in Herald Square:
“Took a walk in the afternoon and saw boys in droves, foraging for fuel for their election fires this evening. . . . after dinner . . . out again and saw the noisy trumpet blowers, confetti throwers and the “ticklers” in use—a small feather duster on a stick which is pushed in the face of each girl by the men, and in the face of men by the girls. A good humorous crowd, so dense in places that it is impossible to control one’s movement.”
Tags: " John Sloan paintings, Election Night 1907, Herald Square 1907, Herald Square street, John Sloan Election Night, John Sloan New York City, New York in 1907, New York painters
Ephemeral New York 
November 6, 2012 at 12:23 am |
Wikipedia says that all the State Assembly seats were up for election that day.
November 6, 2012 at 1:10 am |
Thanks for the info. State assembly seats don’t sound like much to celebrate over. But in a more tribal New York, these elections could have meant a lot.
November 6, 2012 at 4:44 pm |
Check out this fascinating look at the festivities that used to accompany Election Days in old New York–second only to New Years in terms of celebrations and parties:
http://www.theamericanmenu.com/2012/10/election-night_7842.html#more
It’s from a wonderful blog called The American Menu. I urge readers to take a look….
June 26, 2017 at 9:15 pm |
I’ve been reading the site you’ve posted and am beyond enthrallment. The menus, photos….whenever I pass the corner across from the park, I try to place myself at Cafe’ Martin, dining with friends, perusing the menu, trying to decide which of the delicacies to choose. Thank you so much, wild, for this lovely trip back in time.
November 7, 2016 at 3:59 am |
[…] McClellan’s son, George B. McClellan Jr., became New York’s mayor from […]