Personification Collection (page 46)

ERIE CANAL OFFICIAL BADGE. Used at the Canal Celebration in 1825. Line engraving, 1825

ALLEGORY: AGE AND YOUTH. January and May. Steel engraving, 19th century

ALLEGORY: PEACE AND POWER. Line engraving, French, early 19th century, after a painting by Ciro Ferri (1634-1689)

DEATH, 1639. English engraving of the transitoriness of might, 1639

BRITISH CONSTITUTION. Liberty Protecting the (unwritten) British Constitution against the attacks of Anarchy and Despotism. Allegorical English engraving, 1796

ENGLAND: REFORM, 1830. English engraving, c1830, advocating reform. King William IV is surrounded by leading Whigs and Radicals

JUSTICE, 19th CENTURY. Wood engraving

CHOLERA IN SLUMS, 1866. A slum landlord meets Cholera in the poorest part of town. Wood engraving, American, 1866

SEVEN DEADLY SINS: LUST. Engraving, 1558, by Pieter van der Heyden after a pen drawing, 1557, by Peter Bruegel the Elder. The Flemish verse below the engraving

ALLEGORY: JUSTICE, 1726. Line engraving (detail), German

WASHINGTON MONUMENT. Allegorical representation of the dedication of the Washington Monument in February 1885. Contemporary wood engraving by Thomas Nast

THE FIRSTBORN SLAIN. (Exodus 12: 29-30). Wood engraving after Gustave Dor

GRANDVILLE: NIGHTMARE. Wood engraving after Grandville (1803-1847)

THE THIRD ESTATE, 1792. A man personifying the Third Estate breaks his chains before the storming of the Bastille. Color engraving, 1792

SEVEN DEADLY SINS, 1558. The Latin motto below the picture reads: Envy is a horrid monster, a most ferocious plague. Copper engraving, 1558, by Pieter van der Heyden after a drawing, 1557

ALLEGORY: JUSTICE. Line engraving, 19th century

VISION OF DEATH. (Revelation 6: 8): engraving after Gustave Dor
VISION OF DEATH. (Revelation 6:8): engraving after Gustave Dor

ALLEGORY: COLUMBIA, c1870. Steel engraving, American, c1870

CHILDREN OF PLANET SATURN. Allegoric representation of the Life of the Children of the planet Saturn. Woodcut, German, 16th century

HOMER: THE ILIAD. Achilles contending with the Rivers. Line engraving, 1793, by Thomas Piroli after John Flaxman

CHILDREN OF PLANET MARS. Allegoric representation of the life of the children of the planet Mars. Line engraving, 1533, by Gabriele Giolita de Ferrari

ALLEGORY: JUSTICE. Wood engraving, 19th century

BEWICK: DEVIL. Wood engraving, early 19th century, by Thomas Bewick

ALLEGORY: JUSTICE. Wood engraving, American, 19th century

ALLEGORY: WIND. Wood engraving, 19th century

Liberty Statue - Plaza Cagancha, Montevideo, Uruguay Date: 1920

Britiannia Bides Her Time
" Britiannia Bides Her Time.", Alick P. F. ritchie, The Bystander front cover, 19th August 1914. In 1914, Britannia really did rule the waves

The Proclamation of Argentinian Independence in 1810. Postcard dating from the centenary of the revolution in 1910. Date: 1810

Exhibition of the Old Art Towns, Bruges
Poster design by L Beyaert for the Exhibition of the Old Art Towns - July-October 1932 at Bruges, Belgium. Date: 1932

Italian Patriotic postcard - WWI - Irredentist Movement
In Gorizia we are! To Trento and Trieste, we re going.. Italian patriotic postcard from World War One urging Italy to rise up and reclaim Trieste and Trento (having already captured Gorizia)

Ventimiglia, Italy - Greetings card
Greetings card from Ventimiglia in Liguria, northern Italy, in the province of Imperia on the Mediterranean coast close to the border with France

Montenegro - Depicted as one of the Allied Butterflies Date: circa 1914

Time, gentlement, please! - anti-jazz music, 1913
The personification of Time drops her lyre in horror and covers her ears against the latest American import: Jazz. Date: 1913

Casino Interior, Monte Carlo, Monaco - The Salle de Jeu (Games Room). This card also features two personifications of differing stages of the gambling process - Good Luck, shown by the wealthy

Ptolemy at Work
The 2nd century Egyptian astronomor Ptolemaius is guided by the personification of Astronomy. Date: 2nd century

ALLEGORY OF VENUS, 1496. Personification of Venus, planet of love, gaiety and music. Woodcut from Nicolas Le Rouges Le grant kalendrier et compost des bergieres, Troyes, France, 1496

PTOLEMAIC WORLD MAP, 1493. Ptolemaic world map, including depictions of Noahs sons, Japhet, Shem and Ham, progenitors of the human race in Judeo-Christian tradition

COYSEVOX: FAME AND PEGASUS. Fame Riding Pegasus. Sculpture in the Tuilerie Gardens in Paris, by Charles-Antoine Coysevox, 1699-1702

ANTI-RUSSIAN MAP, 1877. Serio-Comic War Map for the Year 1877. Satirical map featuring the personified nations of Europe warily regarding an expansionist Russia, caricatured as a grasping octopus

VENICE: HARBOR, c1500. Ships in the harbor of Venice. Detail of Jacopo Barbaris Bird s-Eye-View of Venice, woodcut, 1500

Durers Nude Woman with Zodiac. Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) was a German artist. His skillful use of perspective and mathematical proportions made him one of the outstanding artistic figures of

Hygieia
Coloured illustration from a statue of Hygieia, Greek goddess of health, cleanliness and sanitation, hence the origin of the word hygiene. She was the daughter of the god of healing, Asclepius

EGYPTIAN CELESTIAL SPHERE. Celestial sphere from the Temple of Osiris at Denderah, Egypt, designed in the time of the later Ptolemies, between 305 and 51 B.C

JUSTICE CARTOON. An 1893 American cartoon by Louis Dalrymple suggesting excessive sentiment for the defendant as an impediment to the course of justice

BATTLE OF LEPANTO, 1571. Christian fleets at Messina before the Battle of Lepanto, 7 October 1571, with allegorical figures representing Spain, the Papacy, and Venice

TAROT CARD: THE DEVIL, c1430. The Devil (Disease): tarot card from an Italian deck printed in Milan, c1430

CARTOON: JOHN BULL, c1814. The Property Tax. English cartoon depicting a prosperous John Bull seated in a chair as a blue demon hovers above him using a magnet to withdraw coins from Bulls pocket

RADIOLOGIST, c1930. A radiologist using x-rays to repel Death, personified as a skeleton wearing a shroud, as it approaches a young woman on an operating table. Etching by Ivo Saliger, c1930

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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.