The Ninth of Thermidor, or the English Surprise, to Honest People of All Countries (Le Neuf Thermidor ou la surprise angloise, aux honnêtes gens to tous le pays) 1795

Curator: This etching and engraving, entitled "The Ninth of Thermidor, or the English Surprise, to Honest People of All Countries," was created in 1795 by Jean-Baptiste Louvion. It’s currently held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: My immediate reaction is that this image feels intensely propagandistic. There's a strong sense of moral judgment being visually rendered here; it feels very pointed in its symbolism. Curator: Indeed. Considering Louvion’s production methods – the deliberate act of etching and engraving allows for the wide dissemination of political ideas. Note the contrast here. Justice is rigid, hard to the touch, yet Robspierre and his crew are soft, powerless. The artist is actively taking a position for consumption. Editor: Absolutely. This piece uses allegorical figures like Justice, depicted classically, but also caricatures contemporary political figures. The juxtaposition points to how the Revolution ate its own. The Ostrich in the middle makes it hard to get any solid bearing on an understanding. Curator: Right, the scale is fascinating! An outsized, unnatural image looms in the middle. Here Louvion offers a look at English consumerism preying on Revolutionary values. England offering poisoned goblets and bloody meats. It begs questions regarding economics during political instability. Editor: The artist's socio-political perspective shapes the composition and theme so strongly. Louvion seems to want to present a clear narrative of virtue and corruption, framed by France's tumultuous shift post-Thermidorian Reaction. Note how Justice triumphs but with violence and carnage underneath her feet. What a strong, aggressive message being delivered to an anxious populace! Curator: Yes! Considering the wider production context of such images, these affordable artworks circulated widely. The text at the bottom makes specific claims, appealing directly to national identity in a manner not unlike an advertisement or poster today. Louvion is manufacturing loyalty and appealing to anxieties of being colonized by way of appetites. Editor: It really brings forth questions regarding consumerism and national identities in times of dramatic sociopolitical change, reminding us that art is never divorced from the structures of power and ideologies in play during its making. Thank you for focusing my attention on its material properties and embeddedness in larger cultural and political currents.