The Coalition ministers are gathered around the table placed in the mouth of a cave. On the left sits Lord North wearing armor under his cloak, a goblet in his left hand. Opposite him on the right is Charles Fox, dressed as a centurion and sitting on a fox. He leans on the table keeping his right hand on three dice signed, "Madras," "Bombay," and "Bengal," and clutching a dice box in his left. Behind him Admiral Keppel, the date of the battle of Ushant (1778) on his helmet, raises his goblet in a toast. Behind him Sheridan, with ass's ears and "School for Scandal" written across his head cover, watches the Duke of Portland count out money to Lord Carlisle. On Portland's shoulder leans Lord Cavendish in a centurion's armor under his cloak. Between him and North sits Burke in a Jesuit's outfit reading his own "Plan of oeconomy [sic]." Under the table lie the corpses of Lords Shelburne and Ashburton, ousted by the Coalition
Description:
Title etched below image., Printmaker from British Museum catalogue., Early state, with title etched below image instead of within image. See British Museum catalogue., Sheet trimmed within plate mark with probable loss of imprint statement. Publication information from British Museum catalogue., and Mounted on leaf 69 of volume 1 of 12.
Publisher:
E. Hedges?
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain and England
Subject (Name):
Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, Keppel, Augustus Keppel, Viscount, 1725-1786, Sheridan, Richard Brinsley, 1751-1816, Carlisle, Frederick Howard, Earl of, 1748-1825, Portland, William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, Duke of, 1738-1809, Cavendish, John, Lord, 1732-1796, Burke, Edmund, 1729-1797, and North, Frederick, Lord, 1732-1792
Subject (Topic):
Politics and government, Costumes, Drinking vessels, Gambling, and Clothing & dress
Charles Fox and Lord North sit on a bench, raising together a two-handled tankard in celebration of the coalition's victory. North (as Boreas) blows at the froth spilling it carelessly on a document inscribed "Westminster Petition" thus implying the new ministry's contempt for the Westminster Association's demands for parliamentary reform
Alternative Title:
Right honorable catch singers
Description:
Title from item., Printmaker from British Museum catalogue., Sheet trimmed within plate mark., 1 print : etching on wove paper, hand-colored ; sheet 23.9 x 32.6 cm., and Mounted on leaf 64 of volume 1 of 12.
Publisher:
Pubd. May 2d, 1783, by W. Humphrey, No. 227 Strand
Subject (Geographic):
England
Subject (Name):
Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806 and North, Frederick, Lord, 1732-1792
Subject (Topic):
Drinking vessels, Eating & drinking, Inkstands, and Clothing & dress
"A balloon about to rise from the ground encircled by three tiers of galleries or narrow platforms, protected by railings. Behind the railings sit the passengers. In the highest tier are three ladies notorious at that time for their amours ...: Grace Elliott or Eliot, née Dalrymple, known as 'Dally the tall', she holds a fan, turning her head in profile to the left, towards Perdita (Mary Robinson), who clasps her hands ecstatically; Lady Worsley sits on the right. In the centre gallery sit ex-ministers: North (left) and Fox (right) in the centre, North's arm on Fox's shoulder; Fox turns his head to North with an expression of satisfaction. Each rests his right hand on the railing in front of him, and these hands hold an inconspicuous thread which is attached to the nose of the Duke of Portland (left), who turns in profile to the right. On the right, a little apart, sits Burke dressed as a Jesuit (see British Museum Satires No. 6205) looking in profile to the right towards the Pope, who stands on the gallery, emerging from behind the curve of the balloon. He wears furred robes and his triple crown; as a pendant to him on the extreme left is the Devil looking towards the ministers with a pleased expression; over his arm he holds a net. In the lowest gallery sit celebrated quacks and other London characters. These are (left to right) "Vestina', the goddess of Health who advertised the virtues of the celestial bed (incorrectly said to have been Lady Hamilton), sits next her employer, Dr. Graham; they look at each other; she holds a sceptre wreathed with a garland. Jeffery Dunstan, Mayor of Garrat, stands, knock-kneed, with his sack over his shoulder in his accustomed attitude when calling 'old wigs'. Sam House sits resting a foaming tankard of porter on the railing in front of him, the tankard inscribed "House Ward[our] Stre[eet]". Katerfelto, turned in profile to the right, gazes up at the moon through his telescope; in his left hand is a paper, "Wonders, Wonders Most Wonderfull Wonders", the usual heading of his advertisements, cf. British Museum Satires No. 6162. His black cat sits on the railing facing him, saying, "are there Mice in the Moon Master". In the upper right corner of the design is the moon, a crescent-shaped profile inset in a circle, looking down at the balloon. The balloon is encircled longitudinally by eight ropes which meet in a knot beneath it and are there attached to four stouter ropes attached to the four corners of a platform which rests on the ground, from which the balloon appears about to ascend. On this platform is a tub inscribed "Vanity", bubbling over with soapsuds inscribed "Froth". Beside the platform (right) stands a Frenchman capering on one leg and flourishing a knife. He says, "Oh Begar dis be von fine Cargo." ... In the background are the roofs and spires of London, St. Paul's being prominent on the left, the Monument on the right. ..."--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched below image., "Hanibal Scratch" might be a pseudonym of John Nixon; see Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum, v. 5, page 842., Text beneath title: Setts out from Swan with two Necks Lad Lane every Monday morg., Sheet trimmed within plate mark., and Twenty lines of verse in four columns below image, etched above and on either side of title: Who choose a journey to the Moon, may take it in our Stage Balloon ...
Publisher:
Pubd. Decr. 23, 1783, by Wm. Wells, No. 132 Fleet Street
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain.
Subject (Name):
Elliott, Grace Dalrymple, -1823, Robinson, Mary, 1758-1800, Worsley, Seymour Dorothy, Lady, North, Frederick, Lord, 1732-1792, Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, Portland, William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, Duke of, 1738-1809, Burke, Edmund, 1729-1797, Pius VI, Pope, 1717-1799, Graham, James, 1745-1794, Dunstan, Jeffery, 1759?-1797, House, Samuel, -1785, Katterfelto, Gustavus, -1799, and St. Paul's Cathedral (London, England),
