Drie voorstellingen uit de nieuwere Franse geschiedenis 1794

This is a print made by Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki around 1791-1793, documenting episodes from recent French history. Prints like this were made for mass consumption and offer insight into contemporary political attitudes. Chodowiecki presents three scenes side-by-side. The first shows the arrival of the Duke of York and the General von Bouzard in Valenciennes. The second depicts defendants before the Revolutionary Tribunal in Paris, a key institution in the Reign of Terror. The third shows the touching farewell between Madame Elizabeth and her children in the Temple Tower, before her execution. As we interpret this image, we must consider the political context in which it was made. Was Chodowiecki sympathetic to the French Revolution, or critical of its excesses? Was he perhaps ambivalent? These are questions that social historians try to answer, drawing on sources such as pamphlets, newspapers, and other visual media. The meaning of any work of art is always contingent on the social and institutional conditions of its making.