The Patriotick Barber of New York, or the Captain in Suds 1775

Editor: This is "The Patriotick Barber of New York, or the Captain in Suds," a 1775 engraving by Philip Dawe, currently housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It feels very crowded and frantic to me – a lot going on in one small print. What's your take? Curator: It’s a brilliantly subversive piece, isn’t it? Like a scene ripped straight from the revolutionary fever dream. Notice how Dawe crams the composition, almost mirroring the tensions of pre-revolutionary America. Do you pick up on the satirical edge in how the figures are rendered? Editor: Absolutely! The barber looks genuinely terrified. It’s not a flattering portrayal. And all those wigs in the background, almost like trophies! Curator: Exactly! They become symbols of allegiance and perhaps…artifice. Look at the Captain brandishing that razor; it's like he's threatening not just a shave, but a symbolic scalping, a severing from British loyalty. Dawe's playing with loaded imagery here. It makes you wonder who he sides with, doesn't it? Editor: It really does. The more I look, the more those details jump out. I didn’t notice the wigs on the wall and mannequins at first glance. The artist is almost suggesting how fickle identities and reputations were in such times. Curator: And that is just Dawe using sharp imagery. I enjoy the historical, political, and, dare I say, hysterical commentary. But now tell me, are you on Team Shave, or against? I am on team commentary! Editor: Now that's a loaded question... maybe it depends on what I learn from all those wigs in the end! Thanks for pointing those out. I need to ruminate about it!