To save the American girl
Subject(s): Customs administration--Officials and employees, Gibson, Charles Dana, 1867-1944, Marriage proposals, Nobility, Rich people, Tramps
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A customs official ushers a titled member of the nobility on board a steamer, as a wealthy American woman, with thoughts of a royal wedding, holds up a bag full of money. Caption: Deport the vagrant nobleman as we deport other vagrants.
Comments and Context
This theme — American heiresses chasing foreign nobles, even if they lacked estates but owned pedigrees — was a popular complaint and a frequent theme in literature and cartoons at this time. Charles Dana Gibson (creator of the Gibson Girl society figures) decried this tendency, even as he married into the Astor clan.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1900-12-05
Creator(s)
Ehrhart, S. D. (Samuel D.), approximately 1862-1937
Period
Governor of New York (October 1898-1900)
Repository
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Page Count
1
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
To save the American girl. [December 5, 1900]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o275686. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Ehrhart, S. D. (Samuel D.), approximately 1862-1937. To save the American girl. [5 Dec. 1900]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. August 3, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o275686.
APA:
Ehrhart, S. D. (Samuel D.), approximately 1862-1937., [1900, December 5]. To save the American girl.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o275686.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. August 3, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
APA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
