Graphic Prints of the Josephine Period (1765/1790) and the Propaganda of ‘Religious Tolerance’

Abstract

This article aims to deliver a new and methodologically modified view of representation and propaganda strategies in the late 18th century. In the Josephine era, emphasis was placed less on the glorification of a single regent. Instead, the focus was more on complex, multi-layered propagations of a new system of governance and self-image in the context of reform efforts that were intended to permeate all areas of life. In general, the contents of prints dealing with the confessional issue range from the image of the ruler (for example, Joseph as a ‘new’ Diogenes) to satire. The Protestants acclaimed the monarch with demonstrations of gratitude in words, writings and images, which ultimately made the piety of the Emperor a subject in itself. On that bases, I will try to apply a multipolar model that encapsulates the exercise of power as a system of communicative processes with many divergent participators. This view is in line with recent methodological approaches which regard communication as simultaneously a prerequisite and a function of domination. Hence the fundamental question here is how state reforms, particularly those concerning ‘Religious Tolerance’, could be communicated and (finally) carried out in words and images.