"Pitt as Don Quixote (and Petruchio) bestrides a sorry rosinante, the white horse of Hanover, scarred and decrepit and apparently at the point of death. Behind him sits the King of Prussia. Holland, as Sancho Panza, on the animal's hind-quarters, clasps Prussia round the waist. The Sultan, on the extreme left, crouches behind the horse, kissing its tail. Pitt, who holds a whip, points a thin mail-clad hand arrogantly at Catherine of Russia (right), a stout woman who has sunk in terror to her knees, but is supported by the Emperor Leopold and by France, a grotesquely lean Frenchman of the old régime, wearing a cocked hat ornamented with fleur-de-lis. Pitt wears Mambrino's helmet (the barber's basin) surmounted by a crown and a feather. He says: ""Katharine, that cap of yours becomes you not; "Off with that bauble, 'tis my royal will." The 'cap' is a crescent in her hair, symbolizing her conquests from Turkey and, more especially, Oczakoff, the place in dispute. Pitt's horse (George III), says, weeping, "Heigho! to have myself thus rid to death, by a Boy & his playmates, merely to frighten an Old Woman - I wish I was back in Hanover to get myself a belly full". A holster on the animal's neck is inscribed 'G.R', but the 'G' has been struck out and replaced by 'P' (to indicate that Pitt has usurped the prerogative of the Crown, cf. BMSat 7479, &c). The King of Prussia, with his chin on Pitt's shoulder, glares fiercely; he holds a drawn sabre and says, "Blood & Dunder, I would give her one good Prussian stroking". Sancho Panza, a fat Dutchman, says, "I'm in a good humour to give her a dram of right Holland's". The crouching Turk cries obsequiously, "Amman! Amman! Anglois, Alia, Alia". Catherine is terrified, she turns away from Pitt exclaiming: ""I see my Lances are but straws; "My strength is weak, my weakness past compare; "And am asham'd, that Women are so simple "To offer War when they should kneel for Peace." France says, "O, by Gar! if Mirabeau was but 'live! Sacre Dieu." The Emperor, who is crowned, and wears a cloak on which is the Habsburg eagle, says, "Das is de devil, to give up all again". Beside Catherine is a sword tying across a plan of a fortress, Oczakow."--British Museum online catalogue
Alternative Title:
What you will and Modern Quixote
Description:
Title etched below image., Printmaker from British Museum catalogue., Sheet trimmed within plate mark., Temporary local subject terms: Allusion to Don Quixote -- Horse of Hanover -- George III as the Horse of Hanover -- Weapons: sabre -- Horse whip -- Allusion to Oczakow -- Allusion to Triple Alliance (England, Prussia and Holland)., and Watermark: J Whatman.
Publisher:
Pubd. April 20th, 1791, by S.W. Fores, Piccadilly
Subject (Name):
George III, King of Great Britain, 1738-1820, Catherine II, Empress of Russia, 1729-1796, Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor, 1747-1792, Frederick William II, King of Prussia, 1744-1797, Selim III, Sultan of the Turks, 1761-1808, and Pitt, William, 1759-1806
"The King sits in an armchair in profile to the left, bending forward to eat a boiled egg, holding the egg-cup in his left hand. Opposite him, and partly concealed by the left margin, sits the Queen, avidly stuffing salad into her mouth. On the small round table are a bowl of salad and two jugs or oil and vinegar. Everything in the room denotes miserliness: the King has tucked the end of the table-cloth into his collar to protect his dress; his breeches are patched; his chair is swathed in protective coverings, his feet rest on a mat which protects the carpet. A richly chased flagon, decorated with the royal arms, which stands on the ground beside him, is inscribed 'Aqua Regis'. The handle of the bell-pull is covered by a bag. Behind the King's back, and on the extreme right, is a fire-place; in the grate is a vase containing snowdrops, holly, and mistletoe, to show that although it is winter there is no fire (cf. BMSat 7322). A grotesque figure in relief squats above the oval grate, his hands in a muff. On the chimney-piece stand a small pair of scales such as were then used for weighing guineas; see BMSat 5128, &c, resembling those held by the Queen in BMSat 8081; a candelabra formed of a woman's figure, 'Munificence', holding two empty cornucopias; one candle is intact, the other has burned low and is covered by an extinguisher surmounted by a crown. Above the chimney-piece is a picture: 'The fall of Manna', in which the Bible story is realistically depicted: round cakes (? or coins) descend from Heaven and are caught in sacks by Jews wearing contemporary dress; behind are tents and a mountain. Above the King's head hangs an empty picture frame inscribed 'The Triumph of Benevolence'. Below it hangs an oval miniature of the King in profile to the right, inscribed 'The Man of Ross' (John Kyrle (1637-1724), noted for frugality and charity, see 'D.N.B.'), and above it is the lower arc of another empty frame inscribed 'Epicurus'. In the foreground (right) behind the King is an iron-bound and padlocked chest on and beside which are three books: 'Life of Old Elwes' (the miser, a popular work by Topham), 'Dr Cheyne on the benefits of a Spare Diet', and 'Essay on the dearness of Provisions' (cf. BMSat 6993). Behind the Queen is the heavily bolted door of a strong-room; on it hangs a placard: 'Table of Interest, 5 pr Cent. 5 Million . . . 250,000' (&c, the total interest forming a colossal but scarcely legible amount). Above the door is the lower part of an empty frame: 'Parting of the Loaves & Fishes.'"--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title engraved below image., Companion print to: "A voluptuary under the horrors of digestion.", Sheet trimmed to plate mark., and Temporary local subject terms: Interiors: breakfast room -- Doors: door locks -- Dishes: gold service -- Cutlery -- Table settings -- Food: salad -- Food: boiled eggs -- Fireplaces -- Buddhas -- Flower arrangements -- Flagons -- Dishes: cruets -- Muffs -- Placards -- Crowned candle-snuffers -- Chests: iron-bound and padlocked chest -- Furnishings: bell pulls -- Allusion to Epicurus -- Pictures amplifying subject -- Scales -- Bible: Matthew, 15.36 - allusion to loaves and fishes -- Bible: Numbers, 11.9, 'The fall of manna' -- Glasses: crystal glasses -- Literature: George Cheyne, 1671-1743, Works -- Literature: Edward Topham, 1751-1820, Life of Old Elwes -- Allusion to John Kyrle, 1637-1724 -- Furniture: chairs -- Furnishings: bell pull -- Furnishings: slip cover -- Miserliness -- Misers -- Lighting: candelabra.
Publisher:
Pubd. July 28th, 1792, by H. Humphrey, Old Bond Street
Subject (Name):
George III, King of Great Britain, 1738-1820 and Charlotte, consort of George III, King of Great Britain, 1744-1818
"Four monarchs divide between them a map of the territories of the Dutch Republic, all saying, "Let us support the poor Dutch!" In the background (left) the 'Stadt House' falls in ruins, and on a small rock in the sea inscribed 'Texel' a fat Dutchman in back view, looking out to sea, says, "Now, I am an Absolute Monarch"; the words ascend in the smoke of his pipe. He holds a sword and is surrounded by cackling geese. All four sovereigns hold the map, and all shed tears: George III (right) tugs at it with both hands, tearing off a piece inscribed 'Good Hope', 'Java', 'Saba', 'Eustatia', 'Curac', 'Bonaire' (?), 'Coruba', 'St Martins', 'Surinam'. Frederick William of Prussia (left), seated on the ground, wearing a fool's cap decorated with the skull and cross-bones of the Death's Head Hussars, uses a dagger to cut off a piece containing 'Friesland', 'Groningen', 'Overyisel', and 'Ceylon'. The Emperor Joseph, standing opposite Frederick William, slices the map with a large sword, securing 'Utrecht', 'Zalper' (?), 'Holland', 'Molucca Islands'. Between Joseph and George III Louis XVI, dressed as a French fop, uses a pair of shears to cut off 'Guelderland', 'Zeeland', 'Rotterda[m]', and 'Hague'."--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched below image, Printmaker from British Museum catalogue., Series title etched in upper right corner of plate. For another print in the series, see No. 7214 in the Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum. Division I, political and personal satires, v. 6., and Temporary local subject terms: Dutch Republic.
Publisher:
Pubd. June 23d, 1787, by S.W. Fores, No. 3 Piccadilly
Subject (Name):
George III, King of Great Britain, 1738-1820, Louis XVI, King of France, 1754-1793, Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, 1741-1790, and Frederick William II, King of Prussia, 1744-1797
"George III, half length, stands in profile to the left, a holding a tiny Napoleon on the palm of his right hand, and inspecting him through a spy-glass. He says: "My little friend Grildrig, you have made a most admirable \ "panegyric upon Yourself and Country, but from what I can \ "gather from your own relation & the answers I have with \ "much pains wringed & extorted from you, I cannot but con- \ "-clude you to be one of the most pernicious, little - odious \ "-reptiles, that nature ever suffer'd to crawl upon the surface of the Earth." He wears military uniform with a bag-wig. The only background is a dark cloud-like shadow across the lower part of the design."--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched below image., Printmaker from British Museum catalogue., Artist identified as Lt-Col Thomas Braddyll, a young amateur who supplied designs for satirical prints to James Gillray. See British Museum catalogue., Text following title: Vide Swift's Gulliver: Voyage to Brobdingnag., Sheet trimmed within plate mark on lower edge., and Watermark: J. Ruse 1802.
Publisher:
Pubd. June 26th, 1803, by H. Humphrey, 27 St. Jamess [sic] Street
Subject (Name):
Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821, George III, King of Great Britain, 1738-1820, and Swift, Jonathan, 1667-1745.
Subject (Topic):
Adaptations, parodies, etc, Telescopes, Military uniforms, British, and French
"A sequel to British Museum satire no. 10019. The King and Queen sit on chairs of state intently watching a rectangular tank in which Napoleon as Gulliver sails his little boat, manoeuvring the single sail. Behind the King's chair Lord Salisbury stands stiffly, holding his wand of office; the gold key is attached to his coat-pocket: he has the straight shapeless legs that Gillray always gives him. ... Two princesses sit beside the tank on the Queen's right; like the Queen, each holds up her fan. Two younger princesses stand behind. Two little pages (left) blow violently at the sail to propel the boat, while a third laughs. Two beefeaters (right) grin broadly. All are amused except the King and Queen, who are more serious."--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched below image., Artist identified as Lt-Col Thomas Braddyll, a young amateur who supplied designs for satirical prints to James Gillray. See British Museum catalogue., Text following title: Scene "Gulliver manoeuv'ring with his little-boat in the cistern," vide Swifts Gulliver. "I often used to Row for my own diversion, as well as that of the Queen & her Ladies, who thought themselves well entertained with my skill & agility. Sometimes I would put up my Sail and shew my art, by steering starboard & larboard, - However, my attempts produced nothing else besides a loud laughter, which all the respect due to his Majesty from those about him could not make them contain. - This made me reflect, how vain an attempt it is for a man to endeavour to do himself honour among those, who are out of all degree of equality or comparison with him!!! - See, Voyage to Brobdingnag., and Sheet trimmed within plate mark.
Publisher:
Publish'd Feby. 10th, 1804, by H. Humphrey, St. James's Street, London
Subject (Name):
Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821, George III, King of Great Britain, 1738-1820, Charlotte, Queen, consort of George III, King of Great Britain, 1744-1818, Augusta Sophia, Princess, daughter of George III, King of Great Britain, 1768-1840, Elizabeth, Princess of England, 1770-1840, Sophia, Princess, daughter of George III, King of Great Britain, 1777-1848, Mary, Duchess of Gloucester, 1776-1857, Swift, Jonathan, 1667-1745., and Salisbury, James Cecil, Marquess of, 1748-1823
"A pack of hounds is in full cry after an animal with the head of Hastings which runs through the gate of St. James's Palace (right). He wears a turban; a collar round his neck is inscribed 'Hyana', and a large bag inscribed 'Diamonds & Rupees' is tied to his tail. The hounds are being whipped back by Thurlow (left) who rides an ass with the head of the King, shouting "Back! Back!" He wears a hunting-cap and boots with monstrous spurs, with his Chancellor's wig and gown. He is riding over the hounds who have the heads of the leading Managers of Hastings's impeachment. North (not a Manager) lies prostrate and apparently dead under the ass's heels. Burke is being crushed under the animal's off foreleg, while the other kicks Fox. The foremost of the pack is Sheridan, his collar inscribed 'Drury Lane'. Behind him are Fox, a dog whose collar is inscribed 'Francis' (not a Manager, see BMSat 7268), and Michael Angelo Taylor, his collar inscribed 'Law-Chick', see BMSat 6777. The King's head is in profile to the right, his saddle is ornamented with a crown and a jewel is suspended from his neck, probably the famous diamond, see BMSat 6966, &c. Two sentries stand at the gate of the Palace with pens in their caps, probably indicating that they are the two Secretaries of State, [In Wright and Evans they are identified as Sydney and Pitt. Sidney's vis-à-vis, scarcely recognizable, resembles Pitt in BMSat 7312] Sydney (left) and Carmarthen (right), to whom there is some resemblance, and who are peers, cf. BMSat 7300, &c."--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched below image., Attributed to Gillray in the British Museum catalogue., Sheet trimmed within plate mark., and Temporary local subject terms: Bulse -- Military sentries.
Publisher:
Pubd. April 27th, 1788, by S.W. Fores, No. 3 Piccadilly
Subject (Name):
Hastings, Warren, 1732-1818, George III, King of Great Britain, 1738-1820, Thurlow, Edward Thurlow, Baron, 1731-1806, Leeds, Francis Godolphin Osborne, Duke of, 1751-1799, North, Frederick, Lord, 1732-1792, Sydney, Thomas Townshend, Viscount, 1733-1800, Taylor, Michael Angelo, 1757-1834, Sheridan, Richard Brinsley, 1751-1816, Francis, Philip, 1740-1818, Burke, Edmund, 1729-1797, Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, and St. James's Palace (London, England)
"A parody of BMSat 7309. Warren Hastings, seated on a close-stool containing guineas, his feet resting on a stool, leans forward, a bag of 'Pagodas' in his left hand, of 'Roopees' in his right, which he hands to Thurlow and Pitt respectively, who bow before him with hands outstretched to take the money-bags. He says, "Dear Gentlemen this is too little your modesty really distresses me". He wears oriental dress with a crown on his turban. On his seat is a reversed crown. Queen Charlotte (in place of Burke) grovels on the floor, kissing Hastings's toe; she clasps a large money-bag inscribed '£200000'; under her left arm is a box inscribed 'Bu[ls]e' (see BMSat 6966, &c). George III (in place of Francis) emerges from the ground behind Hastings, clutching a great heap of guineas which is piled on the floor; his left arm is in the close-stool, taking out guineas; he says, "I am at the Bottom of it". In place of the wigs and swords of BMSat 7309 are hats held out to be filled with gifts: a pair of hands (in the Windsor uniform) holds out a hunting-cap (probably intended for one of the King's equerries); a hand holds out a three-cornered hat, a hand in a lawn sleeve holds out a mitre, a hand in a similar sleeve holds out a mortar-board cap. These are inscribed 'Turbæ cætera'. The insignia of the Garter are similarly inscribed. On the wall behind Hastings is a picture (left) of a vast human body emerging from the summit of a mountain scattering coins to a crowd of kneeling suppliants. The frame is inscribed: '"Out it came - "Not a little tiny Mouse, but a Mountain of delight.' After the title is etched: 'Mew mew mew, fal lal &c &c'."--British Museum online catalogue
Alternative Title:
Begging bow
Description:
Title etched below image., Attributed to Gillray in British Museum catalogue., Text in lower right, below title: Mew mew mew, fal lal &c. &c., and Temporary local subject terms: Mottoes: 'Turbae caetera' -- Order of the Garter -- Bags of money -- Uniforms: Windsor -- Pictures that amplify subect -- Hats: Mortar boards -- Reversed crown on Close-stools.
Publisher:
Pubd. May 6th, 1788, by S.W. Fores, No. 3 Piccadilly
Subject (Name):
Thurlow, Edward Thurlow, Baron, 1731-1806, Hastings, Warren, 1732-1818, George III, King of Great Britain, 1738-1820, Charlotte, consort of George III, King of Great Britain, 1744-1818, and Pitt, William, 1759-1806
"An elaborate design. The Prince of Würtemberg, grotesquely corpulent, conducts his bride in the procession (right to left) towards the bridal chamber which is led by the King and Queen. George III, plainly dressed and wearing a hat, partly concealed by a pillar, hurries forward; in each hand is a candle-stick holding a guttering candle-end (cf. BMSat 8117). The Queen, covered with jewels and her face hidden by a poke-bonnet, carries a steaming bowl of 'Posset'. On the back of the Prince's coat are slung five ribbons from which dangle the jewels of orders; three garters encircle his leg; a star decorates the bag of his wig. The Princess gazes at him from behind her fan. Round her waist is the ribbon of an order, to which is attached a jewel containing a whole length miniature of her husband, which exaggerates his corpulence. Behind the Princess is a group of princes: the Prince of Wales, in regimentals, is fat and sulky. Prince William of Gloucester stands with splayed-out feet as in BMSat 8716. The Duke of Clarence (caricatured) puts a hand on the right arm of the Prince of Wales. Behind is the more handsome head of the Duke of York. These four heads are clever juxtapositions of variations on the family features. Behind them is the grotesque profile of the Stadholder with closed eyes. The sharp features of Lady Derby tower above the Stadholder. Next him is the Princess of Wales, not caricatured. Two princesses hold up their sister's train, and, behind, a sea of feathered headdresses recedes in perspective under a lighted chandelier. Salisbury (left), the Lord Chamberlain, standing stiffly in profile to the right, much caricatured, with wand and key as in BMSat 8649, holds open the door through which the King is about to pass. Pitt, on the outskirts of the procession, carries a sack inscribed '£80,000' (the amount of the Princess's dowry). On the wall is a large picture, inscribed 'Le Triomphe de l'Amour', of an elephant with a little cupid sitting on his neck blowing a trumpet."--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched below image., Sheet trimmed within plate mark., Temporary local subject terms: Marriages: Prince of Würtemberg to Princess Charlotte Augusta, May 17, 1797 -- Beverages: posset -- Furnishings: carpets -- Pictures amplifying subject: a cupid riding an elephant -- Male dress: court dress., and Mounted to 31 x 46 cm.
Publisher:
Pubd. May 18th, 1797, by H. Humphrey, 27 St. James Street
Subject (Name):
Frederick I, King of Württemberg, 1754-1816, Charlotte, Queen, Consort of Frederick I, King of Württemberg, 1766-1828, George III, King of Great Britain, 1738-1820, Charlotte, consort of George III, King of Great Britain, 1744-1818, George IV, King of Great Britain, 1762-1830, William IV, King of Great Britain, 1765-1837, Frederick Augustus, Prince, Duke of York and Albany, 1763-1827, William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester, 1776-1834, William V, Prince of Orange, 1748-1806, Salisbury, James Cecil, Marquess of, 1748-1823, Derby, Elizabeth Farren Stanley, Countess of, 1759 or 62-1829, Caroline, Queen, consort of George IV, King of Great Britain, 1768-1821, and Pitt, William, 1759-1806
"An election mob in which Townshend and his supporters, as butchers, are violently attacking the populace with cleavers and marrow-bones. They wear aprons with butchers' steels dangling from the waist. George Hanger (right), his hat decorated with three ostrich feathers and the coronet of the Prince of Wales, raises a cleaver in both hands and threatens two constables with staves who fall backwards, wounded or terrified. He is in violent action, one foot rests on the unconscious body of a sailor whose face is gashed and bleeding. In the sailor's hand is a flag with a ship and the words 'Royal Navy'; on this Townshend, who uses his marrow-bone and cleaver as a musical instrument, not as weapons, is trampling. Behind Hanger, Fox, climbing above the crowd, is violently smashing the sign of 'The King's Head' (a bust portrait of the King) which is over a door inscribed 'Martin'. In the foreground a woman half-lying on the ground tries to protect her screaming infant from a cleaver and bone brandished by Sheridan. On the extreme left Lord Derby attacks a kneeling sailor with a wooden leg. Behind Sheridan, Burke raises a cleaver in both hands, and behind him the Duke of Norfolk waves a flag inscribed 'Townsend and Liberty'. Behind is a dense crowd brandishing cleavers and bones, while others attempt to escape. On the right are houses inscribed 'James Str[eet]', the houses of Covent Garden are indicated on the left."--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched below image., Printmaker from British Museum catalogue., Sheet trimmed within plate mark., Text right of title: Price 1 s., and Mounted to 32 x 44 cm.
Publisher:
Pubd. July [...]th. by H. Humphrey, New Bond St.
Subject (Geographic):
England and Westminster
Subject (Name):
Hanger, George, 1751?-1824, Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, George III, King of Great Britain, 1738-1820, Smith-Stanley, Edward, 1752-1834, Norfolk, Charles Howard, Duke of, 1746-1815, Sheridan, Richard Brinsley, 1751-1816, Burke, Edmund, 1729-1797, Coleraine, George Hanger, Baron, 1751?-1824, and Great Britain. Parliament
Subject (Topic):
Elections, 1788, Axes, Butchers, Crowds, Political elections, Riots, Sailors, British, Signs (Notices), and Taverns (Inns)