Bostonians Paying the Excise Man
Artifact IDTL 2026.1.17
Object Type
Temporary Loan
Date
1776
Artist
Phillip Dawe
(British, 1731 - 1809)
Printer
Robert Sayer
(1725 - 1794)
Printer
John Bennett
(died 1787)
Place MadeLondon, England
Medium
Hand-colored mezzotint
Dimensionssheet H 14 1/2 in x W 10 3/4 in (36.8 cm x 27.3 cm)
Physical DescriptionHand-colored print of artist Philip Dawe's depiction of the tarring & feathering by a Boston mob of an American tax collector named John Malcolm.
This British political print depicts the January 1774 tarring and feathering of Loyalist customs official John Malcolm by a Boston mob. The crowd forces tea down Malcolm's throat, referencing the recent Boston Tea Party. In the background, ships dump tea into the harbor, and a noose hangs from the Liberty Tree alongside an inverted Stamp Act sign. Published in London, this print functions as anti-colonial propaganda, portraying American patriots as a lawless mob.
This British political print depicts the January 1774 tarring and feathering of Loyalist customs official John Malcolm by a Boston mob. The crowd forces tea down Malcolm's throat, referencing the recent Boston Tea Party. In the background, ships dump tea into the harbor, and a noose hangs from the Liberty Tree alongside an inverted Stamp Act sign. Published in London, this print functions as anti-colonial propaganda, portraying American patriots as a lawless mob.
Historical NoteBoston and its neighboring towns directly influenced the First Continental Congress through the Suffolk Resolves, a collection of defiant, militant pledges of resistance to the Coercive Acts. Passed on September 9, 1774, in addition to embargoing all British goods, the county withheld taxes, dismissed royal appointees, instituted weekly militia training, and generally repudiated the problematic laws. Paul Revere, the anti-British engraver of the Boston Massacre print, delivered the Resolves on September 16th to the Congress meeting in Philadelphia. In a show of cohesion, the delegates unanimously endorsed them on September 17th. This marked the first time that an American congress united under a single program of mutual defense. The plight of Massachusetts had become the plight of all the colonies.
The year 1774 saw the resolve of Bostonians take a more violent form when a mob tarred and feathered a customs official, dragged him through the streets, and forced him to curse the royal governor. This was John Malcolm, a combative and corrupt agent known for zealously enforcing Parliament’s tax laws. Earlier that day, he had used his cane to knock unconscious a shoemaker named George Hewes who intervened when Malcolm was quarrelling with a child. Hewes was an anti-British dissident who had participated in the Boston Tea Party, and the physician who treated him was 33-year-old Joseph Warren, then a rising leader in the rebel network. Later that year, Warren became
president of Massachusetts’ shadow government. He would draft both the Suffolk Resolves and the Committee of Correspondence letter.
Additional DetailsThe year 1774 saw the resolve of Bostonians take a more violent form when a mob tarred and feathered a customs official, dragged him through the streets, and forced him to curse the royal governor. This was John Malcolm, a combative and corrupt agent known for zealously enforcing Parliament’s tax laws. Earlier that day, he had used his cane to knock unconscious a shoemaker named George Hewes who intervened when Malcolm was quarrelling with a child. Hewes was an anti-British dissident who had participated in the Boston Tea Party, and the physician who treated him was 33-year-old Joseph Warren, then a rising leader in the rebel network. Later that year, Warren became
president of Massachusetts’ shadow government. He would draft both the Suffolk Resolves and the Committee of Correspondence letter.
Credit LineOn loan courtesy of the David M. Rubenstein Americana Collection
National Archives Catalog CollectionJohn F. Kennedy Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 1676934)
National Archives Catalog SeriesPolitical Memorabilia (National Archives Identifier 1677287)
Use Restriction StatusRestricted - FullyUse Restriction NoteThe use of this image and document information is fully restricted. Reproduction in any manner is not allowed.On view