Bowdoin College Museum of Art | - The Reconciliation between Britannia and her daughter America

Preview image of work. etching on paper, The Reconciliation between Britannia and her daughter America 5489

1963.354

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The Reconciliation between Britannia and her daughter America

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Artists

W. Humphrey ; Thomas Colley (1781 - ); William Humphrey

Title

The Reconciliation between Britannia and her daughter America

Creation Date

1782

Century

18th century

Dimensions

9 7/16 in. x 13 3/4 in. (24 cm. x 35 cm.)

Object Type

Creation Place

Europe, United Kingdom

Medium and Support

etching on paper

Credit Line

Gift of Miss Susan Dwight Bliss

Copyright

Public Domain

Accession Number

1963.354

In this print America is depicted as a barely clothed native princess, indicative of the British tendency to consider those living in the colonies as savage and uncivilized. Great Britain is shown as an elegantly dressed goddess who attempts a passionate embrace with America. The figure of America is being pulled away by personifications of France and Spain, who are encouraged by a man representing Holland. A close trading ally of the American colonies, Holland is represented here via a barrel of Dutch Herring and Holland Gin. The involvement of France and Spain in the American colonies, both as trading partners and wartime allies, is represented through the symbolism of the fleur-de-lis and a reference to Spain as “Don.” This etching is a satirical depiction of complex Revolutionary War-era geopolitics in the Atlantic World and conveys attitudes of superiority held by many British towards their American enemies.