Moord op generaal Theobald Dillon before 1841

Joannes Bemme made this print, "Moord op generaal Theobald Dillon," using etching. It captures a brutal moment from the early years of the French Revolution. The print freezes the chaos of Dillon's murder by his own troops in 1792. Dillon, accused of treason after a military setback, became a scapegoat for revolutionary anxieties. Bemme's image underscores the raw violence of revolutionary justice, depicting a general stripped of his authority and subjected to mob rule. The setting, a crude barn, amplifies the sense of disorder and collapse of social order. The print offers a window into the paranoia and distrust that gripped revolutionary France, where accusations of treachery could lead to swift and merciless execution. To fully understand this image, we need to delve into the archives of the French Revolution, examining military records, political pamphlets, and eyewitness accounts. Only then can we appreciate the complex interplay of fear, ideology, and violence that shaped this pivotal moment in history.