"Heading to a printed broadside, a parody of Hamlet's soliloquy spoken by George IV, beginning 'To be or not to be? and ending 'I'd rather drink and revel here in secret, | Than fly | Where I might meet her face to face'. The King, much burlesqued, stands with legs astride on the boards of a theatre, framed by curtains patterned with grapes, bottles, glasses, crowns, and antlers. On the back-cloth are crude Chinese figures. He has a huge head, with heavy drink-blotched face crowned by the towering curls of his wig, and holds a full goblet and a bottle of Curaco. With an expression of calculating melancholy he meditates suicide, on account of 'The scorns and satire of an injur'd Nation', but fears to meet his wife's ghost."--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title printed in letterpress below image., Date of publication from the British Museum catalogue., Thirty-two lines of letterpress text beneath title, beginning: To be or not to be? That is the question ..., Price statement and publisher's advertisement following imprint: --Price 1s. coloured.--Where may be had "Hush-a-bye baby upon the tree top.", Mounted to 58 x 39 cm., Mounted on leaf 36 in volume 1 of the W.E. Gladstone collection of caricatures and broadsides surrounding the "Queen Caroline Affair.", and Figure of "Geo. IV" identified in black ink below image; letters written in red ink within the blanks in the letterpress text, completing the censored words "York's," "Queen," "royal," and George." Typed extract of three lines from the British Museum catalogue description is pasted beneath print.
Publisher:
Printed and published by I.L. Marks, 37, Prince's Street, Soho
Subject (Name):
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. and George IV, King of Great Britain, 1762-1830
Subject (Topic):
Draperies, Bottles, Alcoholic beverages, and Drinking vessels
"Caricature with a boxing match between George IV whose nose is bloodied by the Duke of Clarence [Duke of York?]."--British Museum online catalogue
Alternative Title:
Battle Royal!
Description:
Title etched below image., Date of publication from the British Museum online catalogue, registration no.: 1990,1109.78., Text below image, following title: This battle was lately fought in St. James's, the quarrel origentated [sic] concerning a poor injured Lady, when to the honour of the British Army, her cause was defended by an officer of distinction! Betting, ten to one on Y-k., Not in the Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum., Mounted to 58 x 39 cm., Mounted on leaf 55 in volume 2 of the W.E. Gladstone collection of caricatures and broadsides surrounding the "Queen Caroline Affair.", and Figures of "Lady Conyngham," "Ld. Londonderry," "Geo. 4," and "D. York" identified in ink at bottom of sheet; date "1821" written in lower right corner.
Publisher:
J.L. Marks, 37 Princes Street, Soho
Subject (Name):
Caroline, Queen, consort of George IV, King of Great Britain, 1768-1821., George IV, King of Great Britain, 1762-1830, Conyngham, Elizabeth Conyngham, Marchioness, -1861, Castlereagh, Robert Stewart, Viscount, 1769-1822, and Frederick Augustus, Prince, Duke of York and Albany, 1763-1827
Subject (Topic):
Adultery, Divorce, Mistresses, Fighting, Blood, and Bottles
"George IV (right), as Henry VIII (see British Museum Satires No. 13664, &c.), wearing ermine robes and ruff, sits on a dais under a canopy, his eyes turned sideways to the right. In his right hand is a goblet; on a table before him is a decanter of 'Curacoa'. Against this, at a lower level, is a second table on which is the mace; on each side sits a cardinal, gaping in astonishment at Queen Caroline, as Katharine of Aragon; she stands facing the King at the end of the table (left), wearing quasi-Tudor robes. She declaims Queen Catherine's speech, abridged: "Sir, I desire you do me right and justice, And to bestow your pity on me: for I am a most poor woman, and a stranger, Born out of your dominions; -- If, in the course And process of this time, you can report, And perove [sic] it too, against mine honour aught, My bond to wedlock, or my Love and duty Against your sacred person, in Gods name, Turn me away ;-- and so give me up To the sharpest kind of justice." Under Castlereagh's foot lies 'Mag[na] Charta'; his vis-à-vis cardinal is Sidmouth. Next Castlereagh (right) sits a lawyer, writing (? Leach). Beside him is a large bag with its neck encircled by hissing serpents; it is placarded: 'A Green Bag! filled with Spite Envy Malice. Hatred Lies &c &c &c' [see British Museum Satires No. 13735, &c.]. On each side of the King stands a bishop holding a crosier, one the Archbishop of Canterbury, the other probably Pelham of Exeter, see British Museum Satires No. 13946. Behind the Queen and on the extreme left stands Wood in his alderman's gown. Beefeaters stand against the wall."--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched below image., Date of publication from the British Museum catalogue., Text following title: Principal characters, King of England by the ****, Queen of England by the Q****, Cardinal Wolsey - L**d C*********h [Castlereagh] &c &c &[c]., Sheet trimmed within plate mark., Publisher's advertisement below title: Just Pubd. "How to get un-married" [British Museum Satires No. 13770]., 1 print : etching with stipple ; plate mark 24.7 x 34.8 cm, sheet 25 x 35.4 cm, Printed on wove paper; hand-colored., Mounted to 58 x 39 cm., Mounted on leaf 56 in volume 1 of the W.E. Gladstone collection of caricatures and broadsides surrounding the "Queen Caroline Affair.", and Figures of "Wood," "Caroline," "Sidmouth," "Londondery [sic]," and "Leach" identified in ink at bottom of sheet; date "1820" written in lower right corner. Typed extract of seven lines from the British Museum catalogue description is pasted beneath print.
Publisher:
Pubd. by J.L. Marks, 37 Princes St., Soho
Subject (Name):
Caroline, Queen, consort of George IV, King of Great Britain, 1768-1821, George IV, King of Great Britain, 1762-1830, Sidmouth, Henry Addington, Viscount, 1757-1844, Castlereagh, Robert Stewart, Viscount, 1769-1822, Wood, Matthew, Sir, 1768-1843, Manners-Sutton, Charles, 1755-1828, Pelham, George, 1766-1827, Leach, John, 1760-1834, and Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616.
"George IV, indecorously sprawling, sits on a settee between the Duchess of Richmond (left) and Lady Hertford (right), an arm round each. On the garter at his knee: 'honi . . .' Both ladies exclaim: "God! save the King," the latter's hands clasped as if in supplication. Identifications are given by a book at the feet of the Duchess: 'Second Edition The Spruce Widow in two sheets', and by pictures above the head of each (left to right): 'Richmond', a country inn, with a stag's head sign; 'Solomon in his Glory', the King (crowned) surrounded by fat ladies (the two most prominent wearing coronets), all eager for kisses; 'Hertford', a landscape coloured to indicate a sunset and partly covered by a curtain. Empty wine-bottles lie on the floor."--British Museum online catalogue and "On the death of George III the new king was seriously ill. For the ladies see British Museum Satires No. 13222, &c. For some time he had been seeing less of Lady Hertford and had become attached to Lady Conyngham, cf. British Museum Satires No. 13847."--Curator's comments, British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched below image., Date of publication from the British Museum catalogue., "Turn over"--Etched in lower right corner, beneath title., Publisher's advertisement written in ink in lower left corner of plate: Just pubd. "How to get un-married" &c., Mounted to 58 x 39 cm., Mounted on leaf 57 in volume 1 of the W.E. Gladstone collection of caricatures and broadsides surrounding the "Queen Caroline Affair.", and Figures of "Lady Conyngham" and "Lady Hertford" identified in ink in lower margin; date "1820" written in lower right. Typed extract of ten lines from the British Museum catalogue description is pasted beneath print.
Publisher:
Pubd. by J.L. Marks, No. 2 Sandy's Row, Bishopsgate
Subject (Name):
George IV, King of Great Britain, 1762-1830, Hertford, Isabella Anne Ingram-Seymour-Conway, Marchioness of, 1760-1834, Richmond and Lennox, Charlotte, Duchess of, 1768-1842, and Conyngham, Elizabeth Conyngham, Marchioness, -1861.
Subject (Topic):
Adultery, Mistresses, Crowns, Sofas, Books, Draperies, Pictures, and Bottles
