This Dutch engraving depicts Liberty as a tall female figure wielding a staff topped with a Phrygian cap, directing a group of small figures below her. Banners stream from her staff bearing patriotic slogans. The composition employs the satirical visual language inherited from Hogarth and Gillray: allegorical personification, hierarchical scaling for social commentary, and caricatured physiognomy. Created during the Dutch Patriot movement, the print represents various figures under Liberty's rule. The hand-engraved technique and allegorical framework place it firmly within the European tradition of political satire that would eventually inform modern cartooning.
About this artifact
- Date
- 1787
- Rights
- Public domain — free to view, share, and reuse.
- Restoration
- Digitally restored and hosted by ComicBooks.com · high-resolution version available.
Part of our mission to preserve and restore the public-domain heritage of the medium.