Edward Williams Clay (American, 1799-1857) Portrait painter, caricaturist, engraver, lithographer, and etcher, Edward Williams Clay was born in Philadelphia in 1799. He began studying law and around 1825 he was admitted to the Philadelphia Bar. He soon left law for painting and became well known for his biting caricatures in Philadelphia. Clay was famous for his social commentaries on the consequences of the abolition of slavery in early Philadelphia prior to the beginning of the AMerican Civil War. He left Philadelphia for New York City in 1837 and shortly after went to Europe for further art study. He later gave up his artistic career when his eyesight failed. In his last years he held minor public office in Delaware. He died in New York City in 1857.