Liberty was a central concept in Eighteenth century Enlightenment ideology. Our democratic principles as manifested in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution place Liberty as a fundamental human right. Samuel Jennings in the painting above gives visual form to this ideology of Liberty in this painting entitled Liberty Displaying the Arts and Sciences of 1792. What do you make of this idea of Liberty?

A contemporary artist, Fred Wilson. gives us a stunning alternative vision of this society in this 1992 image entitled Furniture with Whipping Post that he included in an exhibition entitled "Mining the Museum" at the Maryland Historical Society: