Before political cartoons filled newspapers, they filled broadsides single sheets of satire, scandal, and rebellion. One of the sharpest came from none other than Paul Revere, who engraved this biting image for The Royal American Magazine in 1774.
A Nation Under the Knife
In the engraving, “America” is personified as a Native woman, pinned down, half-naked, and forced to drink tea by British officials representing Lord North, Lord Bute, and the King himself. Nearby, France and Spain look on, aghast. The scene is shocking, even grotesque and exactly as Revere intended.
It’s titled “The Able Doctor, or America Swallowing the Bitter Draught.” Translation? Britain’s “medicine” is tyranny.
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| "The Able Doctor, or America Swallowed the Bitter Draught" |
From Magazine to Broadside
Revere created the image for the Royal American Magazine, but he quickly saw its potential beyond the printed page. He re-engraved and sold impressions as broadsides, single-sheet prints cheap enough to hang in taverns and meeting halls.
These weren’t just souvenirs; they were visual manifestos, meant to stir outrage and conversation. Like his Boston Massacre engraving, this print mixed news, art, and protest, the 1770s version of going viral.
The Artist as Agitator
By 1774, Revere wasn’t just an artisan; he was a revolutionary publisher. He knew that a clever image could travel faster than a sermon. With every press of the plate, he printed defiance... an idea we carry forward in Broadside the Musical:
That the pen, the press, and the performer all serve the same cause, the people’s voice.
