Entitled: "The political quadrille. Music by Dred Scott." A general parody on the 1860 presidential contest, highlighting the impact of the Dred Scott decision on the race. That controversial decision, handed down in 1857 by Chief Justice Roger Taney, ruled that neither the federal government nor territorial governments could prohibit slavery in the territories. The burning question of the future of slavery in the US was addressed by several of the contenders during the 1860 race. Here the four presidential candidates dance with members of their supposed respective constituencies. The music is fiddled by Dred Scott. In the upper left is Democrat John Breckinridge. He is paired with Democratic incumbent and ally James Buchanan, depicted as a goat, At the upper right Republican Abraham Lincoln prances arm-in-arm with a black woman. At lower right Constitutional Union party candidate John Bell dances with an Indian brave. This pairing is puzzling but may allude to Bell's brief flirtation with Native American interests. At lower left Stephen Douglas dances with a ragged Irishman, intended as a reference to his backing among Irish immigrants and allegations of the candidate's Catholicism.