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What details in Liberty Leading the People show people from different social classes?
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Eugène Delacroix
Liberty Leading the People, oil on canvas by Eugène Delacroix, 1830; in the Louvre, Paris.
In Liberty Leading the People (1830), Eugène Delacroix depicts the diverse social composition of the revolution through the specific attire of the figures surrounding the central allegorical figure of Liberty.
The painting illustrates the collective power of the populace by showing individuals dressed according to their respective social classes. A notable detail is the inclusion of a scruffy boy on the right side of the composition, who serves as a symbol of the strength and participation of ordinary people in the uprising. By integrating these varied representations of class, Delacroix effectively captures the spirit of the July 1830 revolution, moving beyond idealized imagery to convey a sense of reality and contemporary struggle.1