Snapshots of the Past

What a trifle may embroil nations! British lion to American eagle, In the name of Queen Victoria and over a million of children I demand his release."" – Vintage Wall Art

What a trifle may embroil nations! British lion to American eagle, In the name of Queen Victoria and over a million of children I demand his release."", 1882 — antique engraving
What a trifle may embroil nations! British lion to American eagle, In the name of Queen Victoria and over a million of children I demand his release."", 1882. Antique engraving from the Historic Print Archive collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

A window into the past: What a trifle may embroil nations! British lion to American eagle, In the name of Queen Victoria and over a million of children I demand his release."", preserved in this antique engraving. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.

Framed, it is ready for the wall; unframed, it is ready for the frame you choose. A fine choice for anyone who loves history, and a gift that gets noticed. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Since 2001, Snapshots of the Past has shipped historic prints to tens of thousands of customers around the world.

What a trifle may embroil nations! British lion to American eagle, In the name of Queen Victoria and over a million of children I demand his release.""

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A British lion faces an American eagle in this 1882 wood engraving, and the lion demands the release of a single captive in the name of Queen Victoria and "over a million of children." The caption's joke is its opening line: a trifle, it suggests, could drive two nations toward quarrel. Illustrated weeklies of the late nineteenth century used wood engravings like this one to carry political satire to a wide readership, and Anglo-American relations of the period, strained by trade, shipping and disputes over citizens abroad, gave cartoonists plenty to work with. The animal personifications and the inflated moral claim over a small grievance are typical of the genre.

Created / published1882
Medium2002706217
Genre1 print : wood engraving.
NotesIllus. in AP2.H32 1882 (Case Y) [P&P]
SourceLibrary of Congress
Original scan1,226 × 1,536 px · prints to 4 × 5 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-151093

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