King William IV dressed as a sailor dances in the centre of a semicircle of ministers who have black bodies and are partially draped. Among the ministers are Peel and Scarlett on the left, Lyndhurst and Wellington on the right both of whom wear nose-rings. Scarlett encircles Ellenborough, who, with Sugden, is behind the King. Their tribal dance celebration alludes to the relief that the ministers must have felt to be able to retain their positions with the new reign. William IV was a popular King and a stark contrast to George IV and was liable to wild bursts of passion as is suggested here. He and the Duke of Wellington (then prime minister) got on very well, hence the retainment of his ministers. He is dressed in sailor garb in reference to his years in the navy. The tribal dress of the ministers refers to the far-flung shores that William visited
Description:
Title etched below image. and Sheet trimmed to plate mark.
Publisher:
Pub. July 19, 1830, by T. McLean, 26 Haymarket
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain. and Great Britian.
Subject (Name):
William IV, King of Great Britain, 1765-1837, Scarlett, James, Sir, 1769-1844, Ellenborough, Edward Law, Baron, 1750-1818, Lyndhurst, John Singleton Copley, Baron, 1772-1863, Peel, Robert, 1788-1850, Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of, 1769-1852, Sugden, Edward Burtenshaw, 1781-1875, George IV, King of Great Britain, 1762-1830., William IV, King of Great Britain, 1765-1837., Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of, 1769-1852., Scarlett, James, Sir, 1769-1844., Peel, Robert, 1788-1850., Lyndhurst, John Singleton Copley, Baron, 1772-1863., and Ellenborough, Edward Law, Baron, 1750-1818.
"George IV sits in an arm-chair, his gouty right leg in a bulky swathing rests on a cushion; the left leg is tightly bound between calf and ankle with a narrow bandage. He wears a loose fur-collared coat or gown over breeches and waistcoat. He leans back reflectively, an open book, Diversions of Purley [by Home Tooke, cf. British Museum Satires No. 9020], in his right hand. Phases of his past life are illustrated in a series of W.L. portraits on the wall behind him. [1] As a handsome young man he stands holding a long-bow, as if at an archery contest. [2] He stands, slightly obese, in his Light Horse uniform, see British Museum Satires No. 8800 (1796). [3] He stands in back view as in BM Satires 12803, facing a wall on which is a portrait of the Hottentot Venus [Saartjie Baartman], see British Museum Satires No. 11577, &c. [4] He stands in hussar uniform, with high curled wig and whiskers. [5] He stands directed to the right in Field Marshal's uniform (as 'especially in 1814). [6] He stands on the deck of a ship in yachting costume wearing loose jacket and trousers, his hands in his coat-pocket. The profile and paunch of Sir William Curtis are behind and on the extreme left. [7] The picture is partly concealed by a curtain, but the King sits near a chamber-pot. [8] He stands in coronation robes holding orb and sceptre (see British Museum Satires No. 14199). [9] He is in Highland costume (see British Museum Satires No. 14386). At the King's left hand is a small cheval-glass topped by a crown. His appearance has changed, he has no whiskers, and has a wig of lightly curled natural hair, parted in the middle, so that in place of the pear- or pineapple-shaped head resulting from a crest of curls and whiskers, as from c. 1811 [In caricature. An engraved H.L. portrait by Schiavonetti after T. Phillips, pub. Cadell & Davis, 11 Oct. 1809, has whiskers and crest of curls], his face seems rounder, and, in many prints, younger. His dress is less formal, and his appearance (confirmed by portraits from 1820) suggests a determination to depart completely from the appearance and costume of caricature."--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched below image., Attributed to William Heath in the British Museum catalogue., and Temporary local Medical Library subject terms: Theater -- Hottentot Venus.
Publisher:
Pub. March 15, 1824, by S.W. Fores, 41 Picadilly, London
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain.
Subject (Name):
George IV, King of Great Britain, 1762-1830, Curtis, William, Sir, 1752-1829., Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616., Tooke, John Horne, 1736-1812., and George IV, King of Great Britain, 1762-1830.
Subject (Topic):
Fashion, Costume, History, Gout, Recluses, and Dandies