The Bostonians in Distress
November 19, 1774
Medium
Mezzotint
Dimensions
plate: 14 1/16 x 10 in. (35.7 x 25.4 cm) sheet: 15 5/16 x 10 15/16 in. (38.9 x 27.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Charles Allen Munn, 1924
Accession Number
24.90.33
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created in November 1774 by British artist Philip Dawe and published by R. Sayer and J. Bennett, this mezzotint offers a pointed British view of colonial unrest on the eve of the American Revolution. The titleThe Bostonians in Distress signals its satirical intent, reflecting political tensions after the Boston Tea Party and the subsequent closure of Boston’s harbor under the Coercive Acts. Through caricature and symbolic imagery, the print captures how London audiences were invited to interpret the colonists’ plight. Mezzotint was especially suited to such political commentary. The technique...