"A comet traverses the design diagonally and downwards from right to left across an aquatinted background; the head is that of the Prince Wales in a star, the tail contains the heads of his disappointed followers. This broadens as it recedes from the head; immediately after the Prince is the head of Sheridan, with a gloomy expression. Behind him are Fox, with a melancholy smile, and Portland, looking angry. After them comes the wig in back view of Lord Loughborough (see British Museum Satire No. 6796). Next come Stormont and (in 'profil perdu') North. They are followed by the Duke of Queensberry (one of the 'rats') holding up a quizzing-glass and Powys with his habitual melancholy scowl. Behind them are Lord Lothian (another 'rat'), Burke, with an angry frown, and the Duke of Norfolk. Between Norfolk and Queensberry is the 'profil perdu' of Derby. They are followed by Lord Sandwich, Bishop Watson of Llandaff, and Sir Grey Cooper. Next are two clerical wigs in back view identified by Miss Banks as Wilson, Bishop of Bristol, and Warren, Bishop of Bangor, while in the upper left corner of the print is the swarthy profile of Sawbridge. Beneath the title, and on the background which represents the sky, is etched: 'A Return of the Comet which appeared in 1761 [Above the final '1' of the date is a '2'.] is expected this Year and to be within our horizon from the month of Octr 1788 to Augt 1789 but is expected to be most -visible {if it forces itself upon our Notice) in the Winter months Febry & March ------ vide Dr Trusslers Almanack By some of the ancient Astronomers Comets were deemed Meteors kindled in the Air and designed as Presages or unlucky Omens of some disastrous Catastrophe------ The Peripateticks deemed them not permament Bodies but bodies newly produced and in a short Time to perish again, and affirmed that they were made up of Exhalations in the terrestrial Regions------ Sr Isaac Newton asserts That the Tail of a Comet is nothing else than a fine Vapour which the Head of the Comet emits by its heat that Heat the Comet receives from the Sun and the magnitude of the Tail is always proportional to the degree of heat which the Comet receives, and Comets which are nearest to the Sun have the longest Tails------'."--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched in image., Signed with the monogram of James Sayers., Date precedes publisher's statement in imprint., Watermark: fleur-de-lis., and Mounted to 31 x 42 cm.
Publisher:
Publd. by Thos. Cornell, Bruton Street
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain.
Subject (Name):
George IV, King of Great Britain, 1762-1830, Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, Sheridan, Richard Brinsley, 1751-1816, Portland, William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, Duke of, 1738-1809, Rosslyn, Alexander Wedderburn, Earl of, 1733-1805, Mansfield, David Murray, Earl of, 1727-1796, Sawbridge, John, 1732?-1795, North, Frederick, Lord, 1732-1792, Buccleuch, Henry Scott, Duke of, 1746-1812, Powys, Thomas, 1737-1809, Burke, Edmund, 1729-1797, Norfolk, Charles Howard, Duke of, 1746-1815, Smith-Stanley, Edward, 1752-1834, Sandwich, John Montagu, Earl of, 1718-1792, Watson, Richard, 1737-1816, Cooper, Grey, Sir, ca. 1726-1801, and Lothian, William John Ker, Marquis of, 1737-1815
Twelve lines of verse in three columns below title: Such assemblies, you might swear, Meet when butchers bait a bear ..., Later state by a different publisher of No. 7132 in the Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum. Division I, political and personal satires, v. 6. Traces of the earlier imprint burnished from plate below image on left., and Temporary local subject terms: Naval uniforms -- Repeal of the shop tax.
Publisher:
Publish'd June 27th, 1787, by S. Fores, satirist, No. 3 Piccadily [sic]
Subject (Name):
George III, King of Great Britain, 1738-1820, Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, Pitt, William, 1759-1806, North, Frederick, Lord, 1732-1792, Wilkes, John, 1725-1797, Howe, Richard Howe, Earl, 1726-1799, Burke, Edmund, 1729-1797, Portland, William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, Duke of, 1738-1809, and Rosslyn, Alexander Wedderburn, Earl of, 1733-1805
Twelve lines of verse in three columns below title: Such assemblies, you might swear, Meet when butchers bait a bear ..., Later state by a different publisher of No. 7132 in the Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum. Division I, political and personal satires, v. 6. Traces of the earlier imprint burnished from plate below image on left., Temporary local subject terms: Naval uniforms -- Repeal of the shop tax., 1 print : etching with stipple on laid paper, hand-colored ; sheet 33.1 x 46.1 cm., and Sheet trimmed within plate mark on top edge.
Publisher:
Publish'd June 27th, 1787, by S. Fores, satirist, No. 3 Piccadily [sic]
Subject (Name):
George III, King of Great Britain, 1738-1820, Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, Pitt, William, 1759-1806, North, Frederick, Lord, 1732-1792, Wilkes, John, 1725-1797, Howe, Richard Howe, Earl, 1726-1799, Burke, Edmund, 1729-1797, Portland, William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, Duke of, 1738-1809, and Rosslyn, Alexander Wedderburn, Earl of, 1733-1805
A monstrous creature representing the new ministry (formed on the day of the publication of this print) is shown in the shape of a fox standing on its right hind leg, with eight heads and no fore legs. The central head on top is that of the Duke of Portland, surrounded by other ministerial candidates. Below the fox's raised tail are the heads of Lord North and Charles Fox; above the former issues a blast of air signed "Coalition." Below the design and on both sides of the title are ten verses beginning, "This many-headed Monster of the Land / At present on one Leg is seen to stand."
Description:
Title from item., Questionable attribution to John Boyne from British Museum catalogue., Sheet trimmed to plate mark., and Uncolored impression, with a pencil drawing of gallows and a noose around the neck of David Murray, Lord Stormont(?), and "the pope" next to it in manuscript. Charles Fox's head is numbered "5" in ms.
Publisher:
Pub. April 2d, 1783, by W. Humphrey, No. 227 Strand, near Temple Bar
Subject (Name):
Portland, William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, Duke of, 1738-1809, Richmond and Lennox, Charles Lennox, Duke of, 1735-1806, Keppel, Augustus Keppel, Viscount, 1725-1786, Mansfield, David Murray, Earl of, 1727-1796, Auckland, William Eden, Baron, 1744-1814, Carlisle, Frederick Howard, Earl of, 1748-1825, Burke, Edmund, 1729-1797, Cavendish, John, Lord, 1732-1796, North, Frederick, Lord, 1732-1792, and Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806
A monstrous creature representing the new ministry (formed on the day of the publication of this print) is shown in the shape of a fox standing on its right hind leg, with eight heads and no fore legs. The central head on top is that of the Duke of Portland, surrounded by other ministerial candidates. Below the fox's raised tail are the heads of Lord North and Charles Fox; above the former issues a blast of air signed "Coalition." Below the design and on both sides of the title are ten verses beginning, "This many-headed Monster of the Land / At present on one Leg is seen to stand."
Description:
Title from item., Questionable attribution to John Boyne from British Museum catalogue., and Sheet trimmed to plate mark.
Publisher:
Pub. April 2d, 1783, by W. Humphrey, No. 227 Strand, near Temple Bar
Subject (Name):
Portland, William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, Duke of, 1738-1809, Richmond and Lennox, Charles Lennox, Duke of, 1735-1806, Keppel, Augustus Keppel, Viscount, 1725-1786, Mansfield, David Murray, Earl of, 1727-1796, Auckland, William Eden, Baron, 1744-1814, Carlisle, Frederick Howard, Earl of, 1748-1825, Burke, Edmund, 1729-1797, Cavendish, John, Lord, 1732-1796, North, Frederick, Lord, 1732-1792, and Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806
Title from item., Sheet trimmed to plate mark ., Temporary local subject terms: Animals: Badger -- Fox -- Laurel wreaths -- Clergy -- Bishop's mitres -- Tottering coalition -- Coronet of Prince of Wales -- Elections: Westminster, 1784 -- Hinchcliffe, John, 1731-1794 -- Shipley, Jonathan, 1714-1788 -- Watson, Richard, 1737-1816., Partial watermark left side of sheet., and Mounted to 35 x 32 cm.
Publisher:
Publish'd April [the] 11, 1784, by G. Humphrey print seller, No. 48 Long Acre, London
Subject (Name):
George IV, King of Great Britain, 1762-1830, Keppel, Augustus Keppel, Viscount, 1725-1786, Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, Burke, Edmund, 1729-1797, Sheridan, Richard Brinsley, 1751-1816, Cavendish, John, Lord, 1732-1796, Norfolk, Charles Howard, Duke of, 1746-1815, Lilford, Thomas Powys, Baron, 1743-1800, Carlisle, Frederick Howard, Earl of, 1748-1825, and Portland, William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, Duke of, 1738-1809