Adolphe Thiers vecht tegen de socialistische hydra Possibly 1848

This print titled, *Adolphe Thiers vecht tegen de socialistische hydra,* was made by Cham, the pseudonym for Amédée de Noé. Here we see Thiers as a Greco-Roman hero doing battle with the mythical Hydra, here reimagined as a symbol of socialism. The image offers an important insight into the turbulent politics of 19th-century France. France was undergoing rapid social and political change at the time. The rise of industrial capitalism led to new forms of labor and urbanization, which in turn sparked socialist movements that challenged traditional hierarchies. The exaggerated features and monstrous anatomy of the Hydra are visual codes that reveal the fears and anxieties of the French elites in the face of the rising socialist movement. The image also provides some insight into the institutional history of political imagery. The Bibliotheque Nationale de France holds extensive archives of such prints and political ephemera, which are invaluable resources for understanding the complex social forces that shaped 19th-century France.