“The Ballance of Power,” 1780

This English cartoon mocks the alliance of Spain and the Netherlands with France in support of the American war. On the left, the female figure Britannia cannot be moved by all the lightweights on the right. France and Spain embrace while a Dutch boy hops on, saying, “I’ll do anything for Money.” The forlorn Indian woman, representing America, wails, “My Ingratitude is Justly punished.” Print Collection, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints, and Photographs, The New York Public Library. Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations.

READING THE IMAGE: What does this cartoon reveal about British perceptions of the American Revolution?