Alchemical imagery in political cartoons

[Paul Ferguson]

"We’re all familiar with the format of political cartoons: caricatures of political figures drawn in a way to criticize or satirize their policies and decisions. As the Science History Institute’s assistant museum collections manager, I’ve undertaken a complete inventory of the museum’s collections. While working on our fine art collection, I noticed that we have a number of political cartoons featuring chemical or alchemical imagery. Why, I wondered, is this such an oft-used motif?"

https://www.sciencehistory.org/collectio...-material/