Map of France as a ship
Here is an interesting map of the French Revolution from the Library of Congress. The map was created in London 1796. My cropped version omits the table of events of the revolution shown in the original on the left and right margins. The cartouche in the lower left corner reads...
The Kingdom of France is represented under the form of a ship, that, being the arms of Paris, and that City being known on the 13th and 14th of July 1789, by its insurrection, to have given so great a shock to the monarchy, that its influence extended to all the provinces, except those distinguished as land. The Vendeans remaining stedfast in the Royal Cause, and to the present time preferring death to a renunciation of their principles: are supposed, embarked, to recover the lost standard of their ancient Constitution.
This decorative map is interesting in how the artists were able to imagine and transform the shape of France into a ship. And they were able to go further to transform revolutionary provinces into parts of the ship, while making the provinces that resisted the revolution into land.
Notice the separated anchor as France is now adrift of the stabilization of the monarchy.
Notice the beautiful artistry of the terrain and vegetation.
Here the red flag represents the blood from Paris running down the Seine river.
A boat trying to rescue the broken mast of the French monarchy...
The Vendeans remaining stedfast in the Royal Cause, and to the present time preferring death to a renunciation of their principles: are supposed, embarked, to recover the lost standard of their ancient Constitution.
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