The Deplorable State of America, or Sc___h Government
Anonymous, British, 18th century
March 22, 1765 · Etching · Drawings and Prints
In this allegorical satire a seated Britannia offers a Pandora's Box to America, the box intended as a symbol of the Stamp Act. Minerva, representing wisdom, advises America not to take it, while Liberty lies on the ground oppressed by a thistle (a reference to George III's chief minister, the Scottish Lord Bute), and attacked by a serpent that embodies treachery. Mercury, a symbol of truth, departs from America.
- Artist
- Anonymous, British, 18th century
- Date
- March 22, 1765
- Medium
- Etching
- Department
- Drawings and Prints
- Credit line
- Gift of William H. Huntington, 1883
