Spotprent op het aannemen van de begroting van oorlog, 1871 1871

This print by Johan Michaël Schmidt Crans was made in 1871, likely using a lithographic process. It’s a political cartoon commenting on the Dutch government’s decision to pass the war budget. The image uses the visual language of maritime power to present a political argument. We see a small boat, bearing a winged figure, struggling to pull a steamboat on which a flag reads ‘Thorbecke’. The boat is labeled ‘Tweede Kamer’ which is the name of the Dutch House of Representatives. The print references the historical figure of Johan Rudolph Thorbecke, a liberal Dutch statesman. The scene depicts a tug of war, where the house of representatives are personified as an angel, and the ship as Thorbecke. By researching the political climate of the Netherlands in 1871, consulting newspaper archives, and studying the biographies of key political figures, we can gain deeper insights into the print's message and the artist's intentions. Political cartoons such as these offer valuable insights into the social and institutional contexts that shape artistic production.