Spotprent op de redevoeringen in de Tweede Kamer tegen de Nederlanders die pauselijke zoeaven waren, 1875 1875

Here we see a lithograph from 1875 by Johan Michaël Schmidt Crans, a satirical commentary on speeches in the Dutch Second Chamber against Dutch citizens who served as Papal Zouaves. The composition divides the scene into distinct zones, separating the figure of the Zouave on the left from the politicians on the right. The Zouave, rendered with detailed hatching, is depicted in a state of leisure, smoking, which contrasts sharply with the agitated gestures of the politicians. The stark lines and monochrome palette contribute to the print's didactic tone, underscoring a pointed critique. Crans uses the formal structure of the lithograph to create a visual rhetoric, subtly questioning the moral and political positions of his subjects. The exaggerated expressions and postures of the politicians, coupled with the nonchalant air of the Zouave, function as signs within a semiotic framework, inviting us to decode the underlying cultural and political tensions of the time. In this way, Crans's print serves not merely as a historical record, but as an active intervention in the debates of his era.