Lecture: “Riotous Prints and Seditious Pots"

Join the Alexandria Association for a lecture presented by Patrick Mullins titled “Riotous Prints and Seditious Pots: Political Radicalism in the Fine and Decorative Arts on the Eve of the American Revolution.”
Title:Lecture: “Riotous Prints and Seditious Pots"
Date & Time:Monday, November 17, 2025 • 7-9 p.m.
Location:Lyceum
201 S. Washington St.
Event Details:PATRICK MULLINS

“Riotous Prints and Seditious Pots: Political Radicalism in the Fine and Decorative Arts on the Eve of the American Revolution”

MONDAY, November 17, 2025
The Lyceum, 201 South Washington Street, 7 P.M. light refreshments, 7:30 lecture
As we reflect on the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War, we tend to think of the Revolution as originating from philosophical arguments about rights and sovereignty made in political pamphlets by enlightened American statesmen. But the American Revolution originated through a variety of cultural forms, including visual and material culture, produced in England as well as America. On both sides of the Atlantic, patrons, activists, and producers—including Thomas Hollis, Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere, and Josiah Wedgwood—used the fine and decorative arts to engage the emotions of middle-class consumers, including women. Images could amuse, anger, and inspire, moving ordinary people to political action more effectively than abstract arguments. Through fine art works like sculptures and paintings, consumer goods like punchbowls and tea pots, and above all, mass-produced prints, English and American radicals mobilized a large swath of the public in Britain and the colonies against the king’s policy, deploying images in the war of words which contributed to the outbreak of war itself.

J. Patrick Mullins is a cultural historian serving as Associate Professor of History and Public History Director at Marquette University in Milwaukee. At Marquette, he teaches courses on architectural preservation, museum studies, and 18th century British art. Dr. Mullins is the author of Father of Liberty: Jonathan Mayhew and the Principles of the American Revolution, and he is writing a new book about the cultural origins of the American Revolution. He has published articles and given talks on a wide range of cultural figures, from Charles Willson Peale and John Adams to Frederick Law Olmsted and Ray Bradbury. Dr. Mullins is also developing an exhibition of 18th century art for Spring 2026 in honor of the 250th anniversary of American independence.

PLEASE REGISTER GUESTS WITH karen.d.paul1948@gmail.com. Suggested contribution for guests attending a one-time lecture is $10. MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION AND CALENDAR AVAILABLE AT OUR SITE: ALEXANDRIAASSOCIATION.ORG
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Fees:Suggested contribution for guests attending a one-time lecture is $10.
Tags:America250, Lecture, Museums


For event details visit http://www.alexandriava.gov/c/61505
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