Hercules of the Union
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Accession Number
NPG.84.102
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Newspaper publisherLawyerAlexander Hamilton Stephens: MaleConfederate Vice PresidentGeorgiaGeorgiaGeorgiaBeltEpauletBoots
About this artwork
To justify armed conflict with their fellow countrymen, printmakers in the North produced visual propaganda that vilified and dehumanized the South. This print features U.S. Army General Winfield Scott (1786–1866), a Virginia native who remained loyal to the Union, in the guise of the legendary hero Hercules, raising a club labeled “Liberty & Union” against a hydra labeled “Secession.” The seven heads of the mythical beast represent prominent Southern leaders, each labeled with his name and supp...