LA DESTRUCTION DE LA STATUE ROYALE A NOUVELLE YORCK

DateCa. 1776

Retailed by Jacques Chereau

MediumLline engraving with hand-coloring

DimensionsFramed: 15 3/8 × 21 7/8in.

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1973-286

DescriptionUpper margin reads: "LA DESTRUCTION DE LA STATUE ROYALE A NOUVELLE YORCK./"
Lower margin reads: "Die Zerstorung der Koniglichen Bild/ Saul zu Neu York/ La Destruction de la Statue royale/ Nouvelle Yorck/ A Paris chez J. Chereau rue S.t Jacques au desus de la Fontaine S.t Severin n.o 257"
Label TextGeorge Wasington read the Declaration of Independence to his troops in New York City on July 9, 1776. Afterward, New Yorkers joined with enslaved or freed Africans to pull down a statue of King George III. People gathered at their windows and on balconies to view the spectacle. The destruction of the statue by the people represented America's challenge to monarchical tyranny.