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Secondary sourcePainting

The Women of '76: Molly Pitcher the Heroine of Monmouth

Popular Graphic Arts

A hand-colored lithograph celebrating the legendary 'Molly Pitcher' as a symbol of women's patriotism during the Revolutionary War.

This print depicts the Molly Pitcher legend associated with Mary Ludwig Hays, showing her as a patriotic heroine.

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Hand-colored lithograph titled 'The Women of '76: Molly Pitcher the Heroine of Monmouth.' A woman in a blue bodice and red skirt holds a long sponge staff beside a gold cannon on a wheeled carriage. A man in a blue shirt with a bandaged head stands behind the cannon. A fallen soldier in blue lies in the foreground beside an overturned bucket. Smoke and troops fill the background. Two lines of verse appear below.
Popular Graphic Arts, The Women of '76: Molly Pitcher the Heroine of Monmouth. Library of Congress.

About this source

What it is

This is a hand-colored lithograph print made by Popular Graphic Arts. It shows a woman in a blue bodice and red skirt working a cannon, with soldiers and a fallen soldier nearby. Verses appear below the image.

Why it matters

The print is part of a series called 'The Women of '76,' which used the Molly Pitcher legend to celebrate women's roles in the Revolutionary War. It shows how later generations imagined and honored women like Mary Ludwig Hays, even though no image of her was made during her lifetime.

Look closer

  • What details in the image suggest this is a dramatic, idealized scene rather than a real eyewitness account?
  • Why might artists in later decades want to create heroic images of women from the Revolution?
  • What does the fallen soldier in the foreground tell you about how battle was portrayed?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Molly Pitcher (Mary Ludwig Hays) on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Black-and-white lithograph titled 'The Heroine of Monmouth' by Currier & Ives. A woman in a long skirt stands at a cannon, holding a long sponge staff. A soldier lies motionless on the ground in front of the cannon. A second gunner leans on the cannon, and an American flag flies behind.Painting

Secondary source

The Heroine on Monmouth. Molly Pitcher

Currier & Ives

Black-and-white engraving of a woman in a long dark skirt and fitted bodice, carrying a long rod or ramrod, standing beside a large cannon. Soldiers in tricorn hats are at the gun, one lying injured in the foreground, and a horse and rider are at left.Painting

Secondary source

Molly Pitcher at the Battle of Monmouth (Armytage engraving)

J. C. Armytage, after Alonzo Chappel · c. 1859

Bronze statue of a woman in a long skirt and bodice holding a rammer or staff across her body, mounted on a stone monument in a cemetery. A tall American flag flies to the left, a brass cannon sits at the base, and red brick buildings and a grassy lawn with gravestones surround it under a partly cloudy sky.Sculpture

Secondary source

Molly Pitcher Grave Monument, Carlisle

1876

Color-tinted lithographic theatre poster titled Dalley's Magical Pain Extractor. A woman in a long dress and necklace stands at a cannon, holding a swab, while a soldier lies dead in the foreground beside an overturned barrel. A second soldier with a bandaged head peers from behind the gun. Smoke and troops fill the background. Text reads Molly Pitcher, the Heroine of Monmouth, Avenging her Husband's Death, J. Wright & Co., New York & New Orleans.Painting

Secondary source

Dalley's Magical Pain Extractor: Molly Pitcher, the Heroine of Monmouth

J. Wright & Co. · c. 1860

Black and white engraving titled 'Molly Pitcher'. A woman in a long skirt and bodice, with a flower in her hair, holds a long rammer or swab at a cannon. Several soldiers in tricorn hats with plumes stand near the cannon, one on horseback at left, and a fallen soldier lies on the ground in front.Painting

Secondary source

Molly Pitcher Loading Cannon at the Battle of Monmouth

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