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Primary sourcePainting1766

The Obelisk under the Liberty Tree, Boston

Paul Revere · 1766

An engraved print designed by Paul Revere celebrating the repeal of the Stamp Act, one of his earliest political images.

Revere designed and engraved this print, showing his early role as a political propagandist for the Patriot cause.

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Engraved print of a four-sided obelisk titled 'A View of the Obelisk erected under Liberty Tree in Boston', with portrait medallions, verse columns, and allegorical scenes on its faces, standing on a stepped pedestal. Dated 1766 at upper right.
Paul Revere, The Obelisk under the Liberty Tree, Boston, 1766. Rosenwald Collection, National Gallery of Art.

About this source

What it is

This is an engraved print made by Paul Revere, showing a design for an illuminated obelisk that stood under Boston's Liberty Tree. It is dated 1766 and is held in the Rosenwald Collection at the National Gallery of Art.

The print shows a four-sided obelisk decorated with portrait medallions, verses, and allegorical scenes, standing on a stepped pedestal.

Why it matters

The obelisk celebrated the repeal of the Stamp Act, a tax the colonists had strongly opposed. Revere, already active in Boston's resistance movement, used his skills as an engraver to spread political messages through images that ordinary people could understand, even before the Revolution began.

Look closer

  • What symbols or figures can you find on the obelisk, and what might they represent?
  • Why might an artist use an image like this instead of just writing about politics?
  • What does this tell you about how news and opinions spread in colonial Boston?

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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