Feminine personifications of nations are common around the world. Some popular examples include Britannia, Bharat Mata, and Marianne. Usually represented as goddesses, mothers, or queens, these entities embody their countries’ unity, liberty, strength, reason, and spiritual essences. As national icons, they impart to their people a strong sense of identity and belonging associated with their lands. In this two-part mini-series, Apeksha Srivastava highlights some changes in their portrayal with time, along with some similarities and differences among them.
In the first part of this mini-series, she looked at changes in the portrayal of Britannia and Bharat Mata with time. In this second part, she discusses the Marianne of France and some similarities and differences among these national personifications.
A World War II poster, translated as ‘Freedom for France.... freedom for the French.’
Marianne
The Liberal
The 1789 French Revolution saw personifications of “Liberty” and “Reason” combined into one figure, accompanied by the cockade of France and the Phrygian cap (worn by freed slaves in Greece and Rome). She symbolized the nation and replaced the monarch’s image on the new seal of the Republic in 1792. She personified the newly created state, representing the liberation of France [1].
Eugène Delacroix’s painting La Liberté Guidant Le Peuple was the first work that put Marianne within a revolutionary tradition (combative “Athena-type”), giving her a socio-political dimension. For many people, her naked upper body signified the liberty she took to defend her lands and children, overstepping the conventional standards [2]. Contrastingly, Daumier’s La Republiquedepicted Marianne suckling two children on her breasts. It represented her as a nourisher of her citizens (“maternal-type”). Agulhon’s book, Marianne into Battle[3], explains how she has been a bold personification of the popular ideals in 19th-century French politics and republic.
The Popular
Marianne continued to evolve in response to the needs of her nation. French political figures have manipulated her image to their specific purposes over different times. She is present on coins, stamps, statues, official buildings, and the official government logo. Other than unifying government-public relations, Marianne gave a more accessible image to France. Her portraits were modeled after French celebrities like Brigitte Bardot (1968), Michèle Morgan (1972), Catherine Deneuve (1985), Laetitia Casta (2000), and Sophie Marceau (2012)[4,5,6]. However, the origin of Marianne’s name still remains unclear. Some believe that it was the combination of Marie (Virgin Mary) and Anne. Others think that it came from Spanish Jesuit Juan de Mariana’s name or the image of politician Jean Reubell’s wife.
The Strong & Secular
Ni Putes Ni Soumises (2002) was formed against the violence targeting women in working-class suburbs largely populated by North African minorities, and Marianne here was represented as a sense of unity by women of different ethnic backgrounds. Overall, Marianne is a secular image but she is sometimes associated with shades of grey. The new emblem design for theOlympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 was recently revealed by the Organizing Committee and Marianne is a part of it[7].
In the Media
Marianne-jokes/cartoons/caricatures have been circulated in recent decades. After the signing of the Entente Cordialebetween England and France in April 1904, Marianne was seen in a number of sketches[8]. In another cartoon from 1898, China is being divided up by Victoria (the UK), Nicholas-II (Russia), Wilhelm-II (Germany), and a samurai (Japan). Marianne, a Russian ally, looks on[9]. In the German posters, Marianne very rarely defeated Germania[10]. Marianne’s continued association with entertainment, fashion, and media assured her rise as the “glamorous” personification of the French Republic.
Some Similarities
Although Britannia, Bharat Mata, and Marianne have their own biographies and share of controversies, they share some common characteristics. They embody love, patriotism, sacrifice, and righteousness, playing a significant role in uniting their countries. The mere lines of the nation-maps need such visual representations, to gain and uphold this collective consciousness and identity. Their ultimate purpose is to facilitate the emotional attachment of the people to their national territory. However, the roles of these ideal symbols of equality and justice are often modified due to changing political/social/economic conditions. Sometimes, they are the protectors, and other times, they need protection.
Britannia, Bharat Mata, and Marianne have some resemblance in terms of leading their countries into hope and success, recycling history/religion, and evolving with time. Such national identities never disappear and are always needed to build and rebuild the nations in one form or another. They also convey a diluted message of “woman-power”.
Some Differences
While Britannia (as a symbol) originated from the Romans and Bharat Mata was inspired by mother goddesses, Marianne translated some of the Virgin Mary’s duties to a national context. Even when Marianne is employed by right-wing politics, she can still continue to represent democratic France. However, some people believe that after 1947, Bharat Mata is not strong enough to depict democratic Indian politics because of her associations with a specific religion. Furthermore, Marianne seems to be more accepted and promoted by her nation’s government than Britannia and Bharat Mata. Another difference is the Bharat Mata temples as an attempt to create a composite religious and national identity. Such places of worship do not seem to be reported in the case of Britannia or Marianne.
Britannia, eventually, started being used to depict the untrue-and-forceful “civilization” of the barbaric colonial “others” in an attempt at self-glorification. In contrast, Bharat Mata was never utilized for this purpose since India never oppressed other regions/countries. Some people think that the Bharat Mata is heavily inspired by Britannia, a byproduct of the century-old direct British rule over the Indian subcontinent. But, others believe that she was derived from goddesses Durga/Kali/Mother-Earth, all of which were worshipped many years before the beginning of the British Raj.
Reflections
The first question that comes to mind is why do some nations choose female personifications? Perhaps, because it is a woman who gives birth and protects her children from danger. She teaches them the principles of life and can be identified with the image of Mother Earth. When turned into a mother/goddess/queen, this “woman” image seems to have an amplified emotional impact on people.
These symbols are tough yet gentle, magnificent yet ordinary, attractive yet simple, combative yet caring, and powerful yet submissive. However, even though the female is idealized, it seems that the male citizens are the major subjects who make most decisions. The woman is above man symbolically but is below them in reality. Nevertheless, there is also the fact that the loving maternal presence is eternal whereas the decision-makers change with time.
Amidst all these circumstances, it is up to us to utilize these national icons for the betterment of the country and the world as a whole. Of course, the ideal situation is never realized, but constant efforts to get close to it will always help. For example, instead of looking at Britannia, Bharat Mata, and Marianne as goddess/mother/queen, if we try to associate their positive features and power with all girls and women of the respective countries, it would make them more accessible and beneficial to us. Understanding these symbols gives an idea of the past and present foundations of the country they belong to, and their further utilization can predict the path on which that country is headed. The final question that arises is, have we learned enough from the past that could, possibly, aid us to improve our future?
What do you think of these feminine national personifications? Let us know below.
Apeksha Srivastava completed her Master’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. She is currently an aspiring writer and a second-year Ph.D. candidate at this institute. This article is based on an assignment she submitted for the course, Perspectives on Indian Civilization.
References
Marianne goes Multicultural: Ni putes ni soumises and the Republicanisation of Ethnic Minority Women in France. Bronwyn Winter. 2009. French history and civilization: Papers from the George Rudé Seminar Vol 2.
Spectres of the Original and the Liberties of Repetition. Leora Maltz-Leca. African Arts. Vol. 46, No. 4 (Winter 2013), pp. 32-45 (14 pages). Published by: UCLA James S. Coleman African Studies Center.
Marianne into Battle: Republican Imagery and Symbolism in France, 1789–1880. Maurice Agulhon. Translated by Janet Lloyd. New York: Cambridge University Press or Éditions de la Maison des Sciences de l’Homme, Paris. 1981.
Icon-ising national identity: France and India in comparative perspective. Subrata K. Mitra and Lion König. National Identities, 15(4), 357–377.
https://frenchmoments.eu/marianne-and-the-french-republic/
https://kids.kiddle.co/Marianne
https://www.olympic.org/news/paris-2024-unveils-new-olympic-and-paralympic-games-emblem
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marianne#/media/File:Germany_GB_France.gif
https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/image/imperialism-cartoon-1898
Symbiosis between Caricature and Caption at the Outbreak of War: Representations of the Allegorical Figure Marianne in "Kladderadatsch". Douglas M. Klahr. Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte 74. Bd., H. 4 (2011), pp. 537-558 (22 pages). Published by: Deutscher Kunstverlag GmbH Munchen Berlin.
