The artwork titled “Woman’s Holy War. Grand Charge on the Enemy’s Works” was created by Currier and Ives in 1874. This piece belongs to the Romanticism art movement and falls under the genre of caricature.
The artwork depicts a dramatic and symbolic scene where a woman is leading a charge on horseback, wielding a hatchet and a shield adorned with the American flag. She and her fellow riders on horseback, also holding hatchets, are representative of the temperance movement crusaders. The women are depicted as valiant warriors, aimed at destroying barrels labeled with various types of alcohol such as “Beer,” “Whisky,” “Gin,” “Rum,” and “Brandy.” Banners in the background bear slogans like “In the Name of God and Humanity” and “Temperance League,” underscoring the temperance cause. The overall composition is dynamic and intense, invoking a sense of fervor and urgency in the crusade against alcohol consumption.