Personification Collection

A Star Explodes - Norman Lindsay
A Star Explodes by Norman Lindsay Date: 1932

Long Live Estonia! A patriotic postcard, featuring a female personification of the State of Estonia, waving the Estonian Flag before a night sky. Date: circa 1920

Personification of the Austro-Hungarian Empire with Flag - interesting only captioned as Austria. Date: circa 1910

Deaths Dispensary. An 1866 cartoon indicating water pollution as a source of disease
POLLUTION CARTOON, 1866. Deaths Dispensary. An 1866 cartoon indicating water pollution as a source of disease

VENICE: MAP, 17TH CENTURY. Map of Venice by Guiseppe Heintz, 17th century

The American Great White Fleet arrives in Australia - Uncle Sam meeting a Kangaroo. On 20 August 1908 well over half a million Sydneysiders turned out to watch the arrival of the Fleet

Ancient Roman costume from the time of the late Roman Republic -- warriors, legionnaires (infantry soldiers), a cavalryman, a centurion, an emperor in purple (red), an ensign bearer

POLLUTION CARTOON, 1866. Deaths Dispensary. An 1866 cartoon indicating water pollution as a source of disease

Lord, have mercy on London. Contemporary English woodcut on the Great Plague of 1665
PLAGUE OF LONDON, 1665. Lord, have mercy on London. Contemporary English woodcut on the Great Plague of 1665

The Personification of Finland (Suomi)
The Female Personification of Finland (Suomi), holding aloft the National Flag over the sun rising across the Finnish lakes

King George V - Scenes of the British Empire
One King, One Flag, One Fleet, One Empire - inset portrait of King George V (1865-1936) (1/4). Date: circa 1911

Keep Mum - The World Has Ears. American World War II poster for the Thirteenth Naval District of the U. S
WORLD WAR II POSTER, c1942. Keep Mum - The World Has Ears. American World War II poster for the Thirteenth Naval District of the U.S. Navy, c1942, warning against the dangers of careless talk

A whale and three fish (representing Japan) eating Russian sailors for dinner. Woodcut, c1905, by Kiyochika Kobayashi
RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR, c1905. A whale and three fish (representing Japan) eating Russian sailors for dinner. Woodcut, c1905, by Kiyochika Kobayashi

VISION OF DEATH. Vision of Death (on a pale horse), Revelation 6: 8. Wood engraving after Gustave Dor
VISION OF DEATH. Vision of Death (on a pale horse), Revelation 6:8. Wood engraving after Gustave Dor

DANCE OF DEATH, 1538. Death and the Soldier. Woodcut by Hans Holbein the Younger, from The Dance of Death, published in 1538

Allegory of Obedience, c. 1330 (fresco)
XIR440726 Allegory of Obedience, c.1330 (fresco) by Giotto di Bondone (c.1266-1337) (school of); San Francesco, Lower Church, Assisi

In Praise of the British Empire - Physical representations of the British territories of Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia give thanks to King George V

The Birth of Venus, c. 1485 (tempera on canvas)
XIR412 The Birth of Venus, c.1485 (tempera on canvas) by Botticelli, Sandro (Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi) (1444/5-1510); 172.5x278.5 cm; Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy; Italian

The Knight, Death and the Devil, 1513 (etching)
BEN208710 The Knight, Death and the Devil, 1513 (etching) by DAOErer or Duerer, Albrecht (1471-1528); 19x24.5 cm; Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Tuscany, Italy; (add.info.: The Christian knight)

Cover of La Police Parisienne by G. Mace, former Head of the Paris Surete
CHT237108 Cover of La Police Parisienne by G. Mace, former Head of the Paris Surete (colour litho) by French School, (19th century); Bibliotheque des Arts Decoratifs, Paris

Nivose (December / January), fourth month of the Republican Calendar, engraved by Tresca, c
XIR82286 Nivose (December/January), fourth month of the Republican Calendar, engraved by Tresca, c.1794 (coloured engraving) by Lafitte, Louis (1770-1828) (after); Musee de la Ville de Paris

Fructidor (August / September) twelfth month of the Republican Calendar, engraved by Tresca, c
XIR82282 Fructidor (August/September) twelfth month of the Republican Calendar, engraved by Tresca, c.1794 (coloured engraving) by Lafitte, Louis (1770-1828) (after); Musee de la Ville de Paris

Miss Columbia - Personification of the USA
Columbia - a historical and poetic name used for the United States of America and is also the name of its female personification (Miss Columbia)

Deaths Laboratory. American cartoon, 1906, by Edward Windsor Kemble on the dangers of patent medicine
PATENT MEDICINE CARTOON. Deaths Laboratory. American cartoon, 1906, by Edward Windsor Kemble on the dangers of patent medicine and advertisers spurious claims to lure customers

ASMODEUS. Asmodeus, the biblical demon of anger and lust (Tobit, 3: 8). Wood engraving, French, 19th century
ASMODEUS. Asmodeus, the biblical demon of anger and lust (Tobit, 3:8). Wood engraving, French, 19th century

Melancholy and raving madness, Bedlam Hospital
The figures of melancholy and raving madness over the gateway into Bethlehem(Bedlam)Hospital. Statues by the Danish sculptor Caius Gabriel Cibber Date: 1813

ANTI-RUSSIAN MAP, 1904. A Humorous Diplomatic Atlas of Europe and Asia. Japanese propaganda handbill of 1904 portraying Russia as a grasping octopus

ALLEGORY OF MERCURY, 1496. Personification of Mercury, the planet of science and the arts. Woodcut from Nicolas Le Rouges Le grand kalendrier des bergieres, Troyes, 1496

Napoleon - The Great Victor - made up of personifications of Victory, each holding a laurel wreath. Date: 1910s

Britannia in French Stays, or Re-Form at the Expense of Constitution, published by
XJF212297 Britannia in French Stays, or Re-Form at the Expense of Constitution, published by Hannah Humphrey in 1793 (etching) by Gillray, James (1757-1815); Private Collection; English

Lord, have mercy on London. Contemporary English woodcut on the Great Plague of 1665
PLAGUE OF LONDON, 1665. Lord, have mercy on London. Contemporary English woodcut on the Great Plague of 1665

WORLD WAR I: U. S. POSTER. Side by Side, Britannia! American World War I poster by James Montgomery Flagg, 1918
WORLD WAR I: U.S. POSTER. Side by Side, Britannia! American World War I poster by James Montgomery Flagg, 1918

Mars, surrounded by the Arts and Sciences, conquers Ignorance, 1605 (oil on canvas)
490014 Mars, surrounded by the Arts and Sciences, conquers Ignorance, 1605 (oil on canvas) by Claeissins or Claeissens, Anthuenis (Antoon) (1536-1613); 197.5x280 cm; Groeningemuseum, Bruges

The Spirit of Chivalry, c. 1845 (oil on canvas)
BAL8021 The Spirit of Chivalry, c.1845 (oil on canvas) by Maclise, Daniel (Croquis, Alfred) (1806-70); 125.8x84.8 cm; Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust

The Seasons: Spring, 1896 (colour litho)
2634669 The Seasons: Spring, 1896 (colour litho) by Mucha, Alphonse Marie (1860-1939); Private Collection; Czech, out of copyright

Score sheet for the song L Internationale, c. 1900 (colour litho)
CHT207089 Score sheet for the song L Internationale, c.1900 (colour litho) by French School, (20th century); Bibliotheque des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, France; eArchives Charmet; French

Allegory of Chastity, c. 1330 (fresco)
741526 Allegory of Chastity, c.1330 (fresco) by Giotto (Giotto di Bondone) (c.1266-1337); San Francesco, Lower Church, Assisi

TAROT: WHEEL OF FORTUNE From an Italian deck, Milan, c1430

WORLD WAR II POSTER, 1941. Defense! Long Island Women - Home Defense Day. American poster announcing activities related to civil defense held at Adelphi College in Garden City, New York, 3 May 1941

The White Rose and the Red Rose, 1902 (painted gesso over hessian with glass beads)
CH463059 The White Rose and the Red Rose, 1902 (painted gesso over hessian with glass beads) by MacDonald Mackintosh, Margaret (1865-1933)

Charity (engraving)
778191 Charity (engraving) by Reynolds, Joshua (1723-92) (after); Courtesy of the Warden and Scholars of New College, Oxford; (add.info)

Inconstancy, c. 1305 (fresco)
BEN102749 Inconstancy, c.1305 (fresco) by Giotto (Giotto di Bondone) (c.1266-1337); Scrovegni (Arena) Chapel, Padua, Italy; Photo eRaffaello Bencini; Italian, out of copyright

Fortune flying through the sky on the wheel
Fortune, sprinkling a cornucopia of money and flowers on the lucky, is transported across the clouds atop the Wheel of Fortune.... Date: circa 1902

Innocence takes refuge in the arms of Justice (oil on canvas)
XIR902101 Innocence takes refuge in the arms of Justice (oil on canvas) by Vigee-Lebrun, Elisabeth Louise (1755-1842); Musee des Beaux-Arts, Angers

Victory, 1905 (oil on canvas)
XIR418368 Victory, 1905 (oil on canvas) by Detaille, Jean-Baptiste Edouard (1848-1912); 144x76 cm; Musee des Beaux-Arts, Dunkirk

The Triumph of the Catholic Doctrine, detail of Practical Theology and Boethius, Hope and St
XIR205494 The Triumph of the Catholic Doctrine, detail of Practical Theology and Boethius, Hope and St. John Damascene, Faith and St. Denys the Areopagite, Charity and St

Belgium Indepence - Patriotic Postcard
The first 80 years of Belgian Indepence (1831-1911) celebrated in this patriotic postcard featuring the King and other Royal family members past and present plus technological advances

A Garland of Roses (June) 1897 (Oil, pastel, and pencil on canvas)
8766668 A Garland of Roses (June) 1897 (Oil, pastel, and pencil on canvas) by Blum, Robert Frederick (1857-1903); 71.1x34.3 cm; High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; © High Museum of Art .

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Personification is a powerful artistic technique that breathes life into inanimate objects, concepts, and even nations. From the explosive brilliance of "A Star Explodes" by Norman Lindsay to the resilience embodied in "Long Live Estonia, " personification captivates our imagination. In an 1866 cartoon titled "Deaths Dispensary, " water pollution takes on a sinister form as it becomes the source of disease, reminding us of the consequences of environmental negligence. The Austro-Hungarian Empire proudly waves its flag while personified, symbolizing its strength and identity. Dressed in ancient Roman costume, we witness the embodiment of history itself. Guiseppe Heintz's 17th-century map of Venice transports us back in time to a city alive with stories waiting to be discovered. Lord have mercy on London. A contemporary English woodcut depicts the Great Plague of 1665 as death rides upon a pale horse, illustrating how they are evoke fear and urgency. Finland emerges as a vibrant character through "The Personification of Finland (Suomi), " representing national pride and unity. Gustave Doré's wood engraving portrays Death on his pale horse from Revelation 6:8, showcasing how personifying abstract ideas can make them tangible and relatable. During World War II, Edward T. Grigware's poster warns against careless talk with the phrase "Keep Mum - The World Has Ears. " This clever use reminds us that words hold power beyond measure. Lastly, Kiyochika Kobayashi's woodcut presents a thought-provoking image: a whale dining on Russian sailors while three fish symbolize Japan. Here we see how nations are given human-like qualities for political commentary or storytelling purposes. Through these diverse examples spanning centuries and cultures, we witness how artists employ personification to engage our emotions and provoke contemplation about complex issues such as pollution or war.