The artwork titled “Spanking Douglas” was created by Currier and Ives in 1860. This piece falls within the Romanticism art movement and is classified as a caricature.
The artwork depicts a comical and exaggerated scene where a woman, seated on a chair with an eagle perched behind her, is spanking a man named Stephen. The woman, referred to as “Columbia,” wields a whip labeled “Maine Law.” Another man, standing to the left and identified as “Uncle Sam,” encourages the woman to continue the punishment. The distressed Stephen pleads for mercy, promising never to repeat his misdeed. This caricature likely serves as a political or social commentary from the period, utilizing humor and exaggeration to convey its message.
