General Frost shaveing Little Boney [graphic]Elmes, William, active 1797-1820, printmakerDecr. 1, 1812.eng"General Frost towers above Napoleon who stands in the snow, his arms folded, while Frost, standing behind him, holds his victim's nose, and flourishes a large razor of 'Russian Steel'. Frost is a grotesque monster, nude to the waist and with the legs of a bear; his great feet are planted upon two groups of little French soldiers, crushing them into the snow. He is emaciated and old, with glaring eyeballs, wide mouth fringed with fang-like teeth, and huge moustache; a blast issues from each nostril; one inscribed 'North' slants down upon Napoleon's head, the other, slanting to the right, is inscribed 'North East--Snow and Sleet'; these are white against a dark sky. He has icicles for eyebrows and on his head are jagged pinnacles inscribed 'Mountain of Ice'. This is irradiated by a disk above his head inscribed 'Polar--Star'. His fingers are talons. From his mouth float the words: "Invade My Country indeed--I'll Shave--Freeze--and Bury you in Snow--You little Monkey." Tears fall from Napoleon's eyes, and he says: "Pray--Brother--General--have Mercy, dont overwhelm me with your hoary element, You have so niped me, that my very Teeth chatter Oh--dear--I am quite Chop fallen." A telescope is thrust under his arm. He wears the wide plumed bicorne of earlier caricatures. In the background on the left is 'Moscow' in flames; on the right the buildings of 'Petersbourg', and, nearer the foreground, 'Riga'. Above the horizon rise icebergs in fantastic shapes."--British Museum online catalogueTitle etched below image.Printmaker's signature followed by a symbol: A circle with a cross inside and an arrow projecting from the top.Date precedes publisher's statement in imprint.Plate numbered "181" in upper right corner.Plate from: Woodward, G.M. Caricature magazine, or Hudibrastic mirror. London : Thomas Tegg, [1808?], v. 3."Price one shilling coloured."Watermark: Basted Mill 1812.Leaf 94 in volume 3.