"Satire on the election for County Durham, 14 April 1784: Sir Thomas Clavering and Sir John Upton, one headless, holding a caption labelled 'The Irish Faction for ever' and carrying the other, who has no feet, on his back, who says 'I serv'd you as long as I could stand' and carries captions lavelled 'Coal owners Bill' and 'A command in India'; both seated on an ass facing left, which brays 'Thus I go to Parliament and am not the first Ass that has farted for preferment, but this is dirty work and hard Labour' and which has a collar labelled 'I speak for my Master / Populus me sibilat at plaudo ipse domi' and strips at the saddle labelled 'Curse all Pitts / But a Coal-Pitt'; with the ass' droppings falling on a crest with the motto 'Diem Perdidi'; a mitre, crozier and sword and label 'At rest' on the ground in the centre, playing cards and papers labelled 'Turnpike Speech / Election Speech' to left; a milestone to right labelled 'From Durham / T: C / J: E / 14 April 1784'."--British Museum online catalogue
Alternative Title:
Northern ass
Description:
Title etched below image., Attribution to W. Hutchinson from annotation on verso of British Museum impression. See British Museum online catalogue, registration no.: 1865,1014.456., Date of publication from British Museum catalogue., Sheet trimmed to plate mark leaving thread margins., and Watermark in the center of sheet.
Publisher:
publisher not identified
Subject (Geographic):
England and London.
Subject (Name):
Clavering, Thomas, Sir, 1719-1794, Eden, John, Sir, 1740-1812, and Great Britain. Parliament, 1783-1784.
Subject (Topic):
Elections, Donkeys, Defecation, Traffic signs & signals, Miters, Crosiers, Daggers & swords, and Playing cards
Title etched below image., Unverified attribution to Dent from local card catalog., Publication information from the Library of Congress copy. Cf. LC 3:42., Not in the Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum. Division I, political and personal satires., Temporary local subject terms: Dissenters -- Symbols: dove of peace -- St. Paul's Cathedral -- Dice and dice-box -- Reference to St. Stephen's Chapel -- Reference to the House of Commons -- Literature: reference to Richard Price's Observations on civil liberty -- Literature: reference to Edmund Burke's A philosophical inquiry into the origin of the sublime and beautiful -- Acts: repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts, March 2, 1790 -- Thirty-nine articles -- Votes: majority 189 on repeal of Test and Corporation Act., and Mounted to 37 x 25 cm.