Name/Title
Political Banner (Reproduction) (Loan)Entry/Object ID
L2014.2.1Description
Banner made of coarse cotton with letters stenciled in black ink. The banner reads, "For Governor F.J. Moses, Jr. For Lieut:Governor" and "R.H. Gleaves." The lower portion of the banner is missing, but at one time it would have read, "For Attorney General." There is a slash above the words "For Liet:Governor" that appears to have been hand-painted.
On Loan from McKissick Museum at the University of South Carolina.Context
This hand-painted banner is a reproduction of one used to promote candidate Franklin J. Moses (1838–1906) and running mate Richard Howell Gleaves (1819–1907) during the 1872 South Carolina gubernational election.
Following Moses's victory he purchased the Hampton-Preston Mansion, which served as the governor's mansion from January 1873 until May 1874. While in residence, he challenged long-held racial and class structure in ways that drew national attention. For example, the "New York Herald" reported on his parties that included "negroes and low whites puffing cigarettes." These mixed-race gatherings angered many white Southerners who hated the empowerment of Black men and the state's integrated legislature. Much to the delight of his enemies, Moses, a one-term governor who did objectively engage in corrupt behavior, lost his prized property following political scandal and financial ruin.