Liberty Leading the People

During the French Revolution, the Jacobins introduced the so-called Phrygian cap as a symbol of liberty. Its name derives from the headwear of the Phrygians from Asia Minor. The Jacobins believed that such caps were worn by freed slaves in ancient Rome. In 1792, the Convention declared the Phrygian cap the official emblem of the Revolution. In 1793, the cockade, originally introduced in 1789 to identify the National Guard, was legally established as a symbol of revolutionary patriotism. In this painting by Eugène Delacroix, the Republic is symbolized as a female figure.