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Primary sourcePainting1774

The Mitred Minuet

Paul Revere · 1774

A 1774 political cartoon engraved by Paul Revere attacking the Quebec Act with anti-Catholic imagery.

Revere engraved this cartoon, revealing his use of propaganda imagery to oppose British policy toward the colonies.

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Engraved political cartoon titled 'The Mitred Minuet', published in Royal American Magazine, Vol. I, No. XV, signed by Revere. Caricatured figures in mitres and clerical robes dance around a 'Quebec Bill' on the floor, while a Scottish-dressed figure and a horned, winged devil-like figure look on, and seated men watch at right.
Paul Revere, The Mitred Minuet, 1774. National Gallery of Art.

About this source

What it is

This engraving, titled The Mitred Minuet, was made by Paul Revere in 1774 and published in the Royal American Magazine. It is held among the prints of the National Gallery of Art.

The cartoon shows figures dressed as bishops dancing around a copy of the 'Quebec Bill', watched by a Scottish-dressed figure and a devil-like winged figure, with seated men observing at the side.

Why it matters

The cartoon mocked the Quebec Act, a British law that angered many Protestant colonists by granting rights to Catholics in Canada. It shows how Revere used strong, sometimes prejudiced imagery to stir anger against British policy, reflecting both his political activism and the religious tensions of his time.

Look closer

  • What feelings is this cartoon trying to create in its viewers?
  • Why might religious imagery have been a powerful tool for political persuasion in 1774?
  • What does this cartoon leave out about the people it mocks?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Paul Revere on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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