Spotprent met premier Peel als Hercules Possibly 1845

This lithograph was created by John Doyle, and portrays Prime Minister Peel as Hercules. It’s a print, so an image made by drawing on stone with a greasy crayon, then chemically fixing it to hold ink, and printing many copies. The medium of lithography was transformative, enabling images to be reproduced at scale, and made political commentary like this much more accessible. Here, we see a satirical take on Peel’s introduction of income tax. The artist has drawn Peel as the mythical Hercules, but in modern dress, leaning on a club labeled 'Income Tax.' The drawing is skilled, but the lithographic process allowed for mass production, aligning with the growing industrialization of the time. It democratized art, making it a tool for social commentary, and blurring the lines between craft and mass media. This print reminds us that the materials and methods of production are never neutral; they shape not only the appearance of art but also its social impact and meaning.