Pamphlets had been a quick and easy way of disseminating information and influencing public opinion ever since the 15th century. When censorship of the press was abolished, the mostly anonymous authors of these pamphlets were free to write whatever they wanted without having to answer to anybody in authority. At around this time there was a flurry of anti-Struensee publications written by Copenhagen civil servants – but Struensee took no action against them.
Following his blatant power grab and takeover as Privy Cabinet Minister, Struensee’s opponents used pamphlets to mount a full-scale fake news campaign, spreading false allegations about him and the queen in an attempt to turn the public against them. During the trial and the subsequent executions, fake news was also used for the purpose of moralising the public and restoring the “old order”.
Danish woodcut, 1772 or later
Printer: Johann Rudolph Thiele, Copenhagen
Bomann Museum Celle
BGR00794
There were humiliating publications lampooning Caroline Matilda as well. This one features a mocking account of her horse-riding habits. The picture, which depicts Caroline Matilda as quite unqueenly, shows her on horseback, while Struensee is depicted as a prisoner to her left. Between them stands a wet nurse with their shared daughter, Louise Augusta.
Danish copperplate engraving, after January 1772
Printer: Johann Rudolph Thiele, Copenhagen
Bomann Museum, Celle
BGR00792
The printers of such pamphlets earned a lot of money with sensational and lurid leaflets in particular. This engraving alludes to Struensee’s success with women and his affair with the queen. In the text, Struensee himself seems to be speaking, admitting that he deserved to be arrested.
Danish woodcut based on Terkel Kleve, after April 1770
Bomann Museum Celle
BGR00703
The caricature foregoes narrative visual elements and shows only Struensee’s profile. His facial features are depicted in a nasty way: his long hooked nose plays on an anti-Semitic stereotype that had been around ever since the Middle Ages. This simple depiction was particularly easy to produce and was sold cheaply.
Danish copperplate engraving, after January 1772
Printer: Johann Rudolph Thiele, Copenhagen
Bomann Museum Celle
BGR00509
Struensee’s reforms protecting single mothers, illegitimate children and single women were misinterpreted by the public as promoting immorality and prostitution. The picture on this pamphlet shows a woman standing on a ladder, placing an unusually tall wig on the head of a prostitute. The satirical text calls on prostitutes to mourn for their supposed benefactor, Struensee.
Johanna Dorothea Philipp, née Sysang
German copperplate engraving, after 1772
Bomann Museum Celle
BGR00641
This particularly detailed pamphlet shows some of the accusations levelled against Struensee. He is sitting on the throne, reaching for the crown and is surrounded by riches. In the background is Justitia (Justice), blindfolded, with a set of scales and an executioner’s sword. The text exhorts Struensee not to enrich himself. The image of the boy sitting chained up in a cave alludes to the upbringing of the crown prince, whom Struensee was rumoured to have mistreated.
Silk, second half of the 18th century
The Royal Danish Collection
131-4 (or 131-5)
These garters were a present from Struensee to Caroline Matilda. They were used as evidence in Struensee’s trial – serving as “proof” of his and Caroline Matilda’s adulterous relationship – and formed part of the trial records, which were kept secret until the 1960s.
Copper, after 1771
Bomann Museum Celle
0028596
This film shows how a Danish shilling coin was manipulated in order to defame Caroline Matilda: on the front, the double monogram of Christian VII has been made to look like a vagina. On the back, the coin’s value and the year 1771 have been rubbed away, leaving only “1 Danske K”, a misogynistic insult which might have been directed at the queen. We do not know when the coin was altered.