This artifact is dated to 1836, from a newspaper printed in Ireland. It depicts a regal woman riding a steed that has three lion heads. The monster is standing triumphantly over many dead bodies. Around the woman and monster, people are being tortured to death.
The purpose of the piece was to call out the Roman Catholic church’s treatment of non-Christians. The Roman Catholic church, at that point, had held power in Europe for centuries, and often wielded this power to subjugate minority groups. Ireland, in particular, had been made a part of the relatively recent United Kingdom. The union was opposed by protestant Irish people, as England was under the direct hold of the Catholic church. In short, there was a power conflict between Catholic political powers and anti-Catholic and/or Protestant opposition in Ireland.
Political tensions between Ireland and England would continue for decades and centuries to come. The documentation and contextual analysis of work published during this time is very important because it informs how major political conflicts unfold, and how they can impact modern relations between nations.
It is clear from the drawing in this Protestant-owned newspaper that the author and illustrator did not like the Roman Catholic church. Why is that? Is it warranted? How did those feelings impact relations at the time and moving forward?
