The Bostonians in Distress 1774

Philip Dawe’s 1774 satirical engraving, "The Bostonians in Distress," depicts the citizens of Boston imprisoned within a cage labeled "Liberty Tree" while being mocked by British soldiers. The scene is a commentary on the Boston Tea Party and the ensuing political and economic crisis. The artwork's visual language, with its caricatured figures and symbolic imagery, effectively communicates the tensions between the colonists and the British during the pre-Revolutionary War era, making this engraving a significant historical document and a poignant example of 18th-century political satire.