Question

how did the female figures become an allegory for the nation during the 19th century in Europe

Answer 1

Nationalism required personalizing a nation. Countries were often portrayed as female to give shape to an abstract idea. Often cultural icons such as trees or aspirational values such as liberty and justice needed icons and preferably female figures to get the message across. The female figure became an allegory of the nation.

E.g. under French Revolution, Justice is generally a blindfolded woman carrying a pair of weighing scales

Answer 2

1- Artist found a way out to represent a country in the form of a person.

2 - then nations were portrayed as female figure.

3- it gave the abstract idea of the nation a concrete form.

4- thus the female figure became an allegory of the nation.

5- during the French revolution artists used the formal allegory to portray idea such as liberty, justice, and republic.