A series of crude (and in some cases explicitly racist) lithographed cards numbered 1-16, with scenes relating to political reform on both sides of the Atlantic. On British side, they cover the reforms to the franchise made by the 1832 Reform Act, poking fun at 'poor distress'd turn'd out Boroughmongers' (No. 1), the rural squirearchy (No. 7), Taxes (No. 9), the established Church (No. 10) and Irishmen (no. 12), among others. United States political issues are shown in the second card which reuses - with added racist slurs - the design of Edward Williams Clay (1799-1857) entitled 'Hurrah! hurrah for Genl. Jackson!!' under the caption 'Life in Philadelphia'. Cards nos. 4 and 7, with yet more overt racism, use references to American segregationism to caricature British political positions
Description:
Title from dealer's description., Approximate date of publication based on publisher's street address; the York stationer and lithographer William Fletcher Wodson (1801-1860) operated from his "2 Pavement" location only between 1830 and 1833. Additional evidence comes from references to the 1832 Reform Act and the presidency of Andrew Jackson., and For further information, consult library staff.
Publisher:
W.F. Wodson, lith., Pavement, York
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain and United States
Subject (Name):
Great Britain. Parliament
Subject (Topic):
Reform, Politics and government, Ethnic stereotypes, Poverty, and Racism
A satire of William IV's involvement in the debate leading up to the Reform Act of 1832: A cat with the face of William IV is being persuaded to pull a hot chestnut from a blazing fire by a bewigged monkey (Lord Chancellor Henry Brougham). The fire is labelled with words such as 'rights', 'reform', and 'popularity'. A portrait of Whig Prime Minister Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, hangs above the fireplace
Description:
Title etched below image., Publication date inferred from the subject matter of the print. Publisher Marianne Humphrey, the widow of George Humphrey, operated her late husband's publishing business from 1831 to 1835; see British Museum online catalogue., Five lines of verse below title: A cat and a monkey tired of play ..., For an 1821 print of similar composition, entitled "The man of the woods & the cat-o'-mountain" and satirizing the relationship between Queen Caroline and Sir Matthew Wood, see no. 14131 in the Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum, v. 10., and Not in the Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum.
Publisher:
Pubd. by Marianne Humphreys, St. James's Stt
Subject (Name):
Great Britain. Parliament, William IV, King of Great Britain, 1765-1837, Brougham and Vaux, Henry Brougham, Baron, 1778-1868, and Grey, Charles Grey, Earl, 1764-1845,
Subject (Topic):
Reform, Cats, Monkeys, Fireplaces, Bookcases, Irons (Pressing), and Portraits
