The Bostonians in distress – Antique Wall Art
(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
Few images capture their era like this historic print of The Bostonians in distress. An authentic image from the Library of Congress, it carries the weight of the real historical record.
The framed print arrives ready to hang; the unframed option suits custom framing. A conversation-starting piece for home, office, or as a meaningful gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past, founded in 2001, has served tens of thousands of customers worldwide.
The Bostonians in distress
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Unlike many views of colonial Boston, this mezzotint presents the city as a captive, with a cage labeled "Boston" standing in for the town itself. It was published in London in November 1774, months after Parliament passed the Boston Port Act, which closed the harbor to most shipping in response to the Boston Tea Party. The publishers, R. Sayer and J. Bennett, issued many satirical prints on the American crisis, and this second impression, reversed from the first, shows the image was reproduced and circulated. It reflects how many Britons saw the colonists as unruly subjects in need of discipline on the eve of the Revolutionary War.
| Created / published | London : Printed for R. Sayer and J. Bennett, Map & Printsellers, No. 53 Fleet Street, as the Act directs, 1774 Novr. 19. |
|---|---|
| Medium | 1 print : mezzotint. |
| Genre | v. 5 |
| Notes | Title from item. Second impression, reversed, lacking imprint, but with cage labeled Boston." Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum. Division I |
| Subjects | Prisoners--Massachusetts--Boston--1770-1780. Cages--Massachusetts--Boston--1770-1780. Politics & government--Massachusetts--1770-1780. United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783. |
| Source | Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division |
| Original scan | 1,033 × 1,536 px · prints to 3 × 5 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | AMZ-SOTP-HPA-111755 |
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