De Reactionnaire pers en het ministerie Thorbecke

This Dutch lithograph defends Prime Minister Johan Thorbecke against press accusations of ministerial negligence. The composition splits into two scenes: left shows bureaucrats at work indoors; right depicts energetic public activity. A twisted tree-form frames both halves, its branches writhing with winged creatures (likely representing hostile press). Text below protests in Dutch: "See! We work! Where remain the complaints?" and "Help! Help! The smouldering ruins of our work!" The print exemplifies 19th-century political satire's debt to Gillray and Daumier—using exaggeration, symbolic imagery, and paired scenes to argue a position. Here, the artist counters journalistic attacks through visual argument: industry versus slander. The grotesque tree and chaotic right side embody the reactionary press Thorbecke faced during Dutch liberal reforms.