Adalbert J. Volck (1828-1912)
Sketch of two men, a woman, and a child
Ink on paper
N.d.
Visible 3 1/4 × 5 in.; mounted and framed to 7 3/4 × 9 3/4 in.
Inscribed at lower margin: “Principal & Substitute.”

This small but compelling sketch depicts a man in a boater hat standing beside another man who restrains a woman by covering her mouth. A crying child appears before her. The inscription “Principal & Substitute” suggests a commentary on gender roles of the era, with the “principal” identified as the dominant male figure and the “substitute” as the silenced woman.

The drawing is attributed to Adalbert J. Volck, a Baltimore dentist and satirist best known for his pro-Confederate allegiances. Volck’s illustrations often advanced the Southern cause, producing biting caricatures that vilified Abraham Lincoln, abolitionists, and Union soldiers. His work embodies the stark ideological divide that split Maryland during the Civil War and remains an important example of Confederate visual propaganda.

[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Art, Folk Art, Military Art, Etching, Engraving, Lithographs, Prints, Ephemera]