Why was Marie Antoinette drawn as a harpy?

Answer 1

It was at this time that the harpy animal (eagle) was discovered and everyone talked about it. The harpy was a hit. Marie Antoinette designed a mathematical figure and called it "a la harpy". She used this design on her dresses, in her hair, etc. She was a trendsetter.

Later on, when her popularity had gone, the people remembered how fond she had been of her harpy designs and how she had made it a trend. They depicted her as a harpy herself, a monster with huge claws trampling on the constitution. The makers of the pamphlet wanted the rest of the country to see her as a monster who hated France.