Revere's engraving also became the frontispiece for the 1770 pamphlet A Short Narrative of the Horrid Massacre in Boston. The propaganda travelled thousands of miles when the pamphlet, and versions of the engraving, were printed in London. The horror and injustice of the Boston massacre now confronted the British people on their home soil.

'The fervour of our zeal'

With its aim to hammer home a strong message, the image is full of exaggerations and falsehoods. It sets the event in daylight and omits any evidence of patriot aggression. Even the snow that was hurled at the soldiers in provocation has melted without trace. Most importantly, as witnesses would later testify in court, it incorrectly depicts the British as initiating the conflict, with Captain Thomas Preston (on the right) giving the command to fire on a powerless crowd – something he denied and was later acquitted of.

The word "fire" was heard, reported some, but from the mouth of patriots, daring the soldiers to shoot. In his opening statement, the defence attorney Josiah Quincy appeared to caution the jury on the engraving's power to influence and mislead. "The prints exhibited in our houses have added wings to fancy," he declared. "And in the fervour of our zeal, reason is in hazard of being lost."

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The engraving's propaganda lingered in the public consciousness long after its creation. When, on the massacre's first anniversary, Revere incorporated it into a giant illuminated display in the windows of his home, thousands of spectators flocked to see it. A century later, portrayals of the event by artists such as W L Champney and Alonzo Chappel made factual adjustments but kept the main narrative alive.

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