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The Fruits of Arbitrary Power, or the Bloody Massacre

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Title
The Fruits of Arbitrary Power, or the Bloody Massacre
Names
Pelham, Henry, 1749-1806 (Engraver)
Pelham, Henry, 1749-1806 (Artist)
Dates / Origin
Date Issued: 1770
Library locations
The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection
Shelf locator: 113480
Topics
Boston Massacre, 1770
Boston (Mass.)
Genres
Prints
Notes
Content: Print contains 5 lines in lower margin from Psalm 94.
Content: Print depicts March 5, 1770.
Content: Print first advertised on April 2, 1770, although copies may have been in circulation earlier.
Citation/reference: See also Deák 128.
Citation/reference: Deák 127
Ownership: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Merrill
Content: COLLECTION HISTORY: The major source for the images in this digital presentation-the Phelps Stokes Collection of American historical prints and early views of American cities-came to the Library in 1930 as a gift of the architect and historian Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes (1867-1944). It includes more than 800 prints, drawings, and maps produced over a period of four centuries, from the earliest European discoveries of the West Indian islands through the 19th century. The selection also includes some 30 images from the assemblage of New York City views donated to the Library in 1922 by Amos F. Eno (1836-1915) and a few items from the collection of American historical prints accumulated by Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet (1828-1919) and presented to the Library in 1896. Lastly, a few other items not found in these collections also appear, such as an 1814 view of New Archangel, Alaska from the Rare Book Division, and the Hudson River Portfolio of 1820 views, from the Spencer Collection. (Source: NYPL Digital Gallery)
Biographical/historical: BACKGROUND: The images in this collection, comprising an incomparable visual narrative of the development of the Americas and especially the territory that became the United States, offer a rich visual resource for the student of American history, architecture, urban growth, costume, transportation, and much else. The documentation of the rise of New York City is particularly strong. The Print Collection of the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints, and Photographs holds the works from The Phelps Stokes Collection, the Eno Collection of New York City Views and the Emmet Collection. The basis for the selection of images in this presentation, Gloria Gilda Deák's 1988 monograph, _Picturing America_, is an extensive catalog of the holdings of American historical prints in the Print Collection and other divisions of the Library, with essays and notes not included in this digital version. (Source: NYPL Digital Gallery)
Citation/reference: RELATED RESOURCES: Deák, Gloria Gilda. _Picturing America, 1497-1899: Prints, Maps, and Drawings Bearing on the New World Discoveries and on the Development of the Territory That Is Now the United States_. (1988); Stokes, I. N. Phelps and Daniel C. Haskell. _American Historical Prints: Early View of American Cities, etc., from the Phelps Stokes and Other Collections_. (1933) (Source: NYPL Digital Gallery)
Physical Description
Engravings
Extent: Image: 9 3/16 x 8 11/16 in. (23.3 x 22.1 cm) Paper / Sheet: 13 7/8 x 9 5/8 in. (35.3 x 24.5 cm)
Description
The fruits of arbitrary po[w]er, or the bloody massacre, perpetrated in King Street Boston on March 5th, 1770, in wh[i]ch Messrs: Saml: Gray: Saml: Maverick Iames Caldwell. Crispus Attucks. Patrick Carr were killed....
Type of Resource
Still image
Text
Languages
English
Identifiers
TMS ID: 371828
TMS Object Number: 94363
NYPL Digital Gallery Description: 33149
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 742fc6a0-c54c-012f-ebc7-3c075448cc4b
Rights Statement
The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. This item may not be in the public domain under the laws of other countries. Though not required, if you want to credit us as the source, please use the following statement, "From The New York Public Library," and provide a link back to the item on our Digital Collections site. Doing so helps us track how our collection is used and helps justify freely releasing even more content in the future.

Item timeline of events

  • 1749: Creator Born
  • 1770: Issued
  • 1806: Creator Died
  • 2013: Digitized
  • 2026: Found by you!
  • 2027

MLA Format

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection, The New York Public Library. "The Fruits of Arbitrary Power, or the Bloody Massacre" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1770. https://old-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-7ada-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Chicago/Turabian Format

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection, The New York Public Library. "The Fruits of Arbitrary Power, or the Bloody Massacre" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed November 1, 2026. https://old-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-7ada-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

APA Format

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection, The New York Public Library. (1770). The Fruits of Arbitrary Power, or the Bloody Massacre Retrieved from https://old-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-7ada-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Wikipedia Citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://old-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-7ada-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99 | title= (still image) The Fruits of Arbitrary Power, or the Bloody Massacre, (1770) |author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library |accessdate=November 1, 2026 |publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>

The Fruits of Arbitrary Power, or the Bloody Massacre