Academic Lecture Series - The War of 1812 in American Caricature - Queens Campus

March 13, 2012

This lecture will consider key events from the War of 1812 by exploring satirical visual imagery. Political cartoons were printed with immediacy, to capitalize on sensational events and to mock prominent politicians and figures, while extolling pride in the American cause. Caricatures of this period, although printed in haste, expose how people in America felt and how they responded to the War of 1812.

 Political caricatures from this period were printed in New York, Philadelphia, and small towns in New England. Rarely are such prints considered in the American history dialogue, yet such images are vital documents that provide the modern viewer with the opinions of the every-day citizen in the early 1800s. In focusing on the caricatures produced during this period, this lecture considers the “peoples story” of the War of 1812 through a series of visually humorous images.

Speaker: Allison Stagg

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