Frank A. Nankivell traveled to Yokohama, Japan as a 22 year old from his home in Australia. Nankivell was intent on becoming an artist and his time in Japan was intended to be spent in the trading market in order to earn money for art school. However, he spent two years working as a commercial artist and teaching other Japanese artists Western style caricature techniques. The experience also remained significant for him during his successful career as and cartoonist, painter and printmaker in the USA.

Nankivell worked for Puck magazine as an editorial cartoonist as well as working for other magazines on both the East and West coasts. His work is still bought and sold in the art markets.

The reference to Danae in the title refers to the Danae of Greek mythology who was the daughter of Acrisius. An oracle had warned Acrisius that Danae's son would someday kill him, so Acrisius shut Danae in a bronze room, away from all male company. However, Zeus conceived a passion for Danae, and came to her through the roof, in the form of a shower of gold that poured down into her lap; as a result she had a son, Perseus.

In this contemporary version, Richard "Boss" Crocker is lying on a bed titled, "map of New York" and Thomas Collier Platt is kneeling along side and catching coins in a pan that is dropping from the cloud titled "bribery." Crocker was a notorious Tammany Hall politician and Platt was a Republican political boss whose paths crossed in the course of their "duties."

Medium : 1 print : lithograph, color

Created/Published : September 13, 1899

Creator : Frank A. Nankivell, artist, 1869-1959

Housed in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress

Availability: Usually ships in one week

Product #: cph3g07952