The American Rattle Snake
| The American Rattle Snake | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | James Gillray |
| Year | 1782 |
| Medium | Etching |
| Subject | Rattlesnake |
| Dimensions | 8.5 by 12.5 in (22 by 32 cm) |
| Location | Metropolitan Museum of Art |
The American Rattle Snake is a political cartoon drawn by James Gillray and published by William Richardson on April 12, 1782. One of Gillray's earliest prints, it depicts a rattlesnake, symbolizing America, coiled around some British units. It was donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art by William Henry Huntington in 1883 but is not available to be viewed.[1]
Description
[edit]The cartoon describes the Siege of Yorktown in 1781, where American and French troops surrounded a British army under Charles Cornwallis, causing him to surrender. The snake symbolizes America and France, as they had previously used the reptile on the Gadsden flag, making it an early emblem of the country.[2][3]
Text on the snake's tongue states "Two British Armies I have thus Burgoyn'd, And room for more I've got behind." Its tail holds up a sign saying "An Apartment to let for Military Gentlemen."
See also
[edit]- Join, or Die, a political cartoon that also features a rattlesnake
References
[edit]- ^ "Attributed to James Gillray - The American Rattle Snake". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ "Prints & Photographs Online Catalog". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ "British cartoons on Britain's defeat in the war, 1782" (PDF). America in Class. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2024.