19-
Gosport
Hampshire
PO12 1LS
Tel: 02392 520642
Georgian Satirical Prints
These interesting and highly collectable prints are drawn from the period most associated with acerbic political satire, a period when, as never before and perhaps not since, the upper echelons of society were often cruelly lampooned. Many prints were also very jingoistic and our great enemies, the French, were commonly the subjects along with that archetypal Englishman John Bull.
All of our prints are presented in original period frames
Sizes given are of the image
only
All prices include framing, glazing and VAT
Thomas Rowlandson (1765-1827)
The Last Jig or Adieu to Old England, pub. Thomas Tegg, 1818
hand coloured etching, 24 x 34 cm, contained in an original antique rosewood frame
Thomas Rowlandson was born in London in 1756 and became a student at the Royal Academy after leaving school. He lived and studied in Paris for a period and would make frequent tours to the continent throughout his life. A promising painter, Rowlandson blew an inheritance at the gaming tables and turned to caricature as a means of earning a living. His work is less political than some of his contemporaries and he is best known for capturing aspects of British social life, often in a touching and rather gentle spirit.
£650
Charles Williams (fl.1797-1830)
The King's Dwarf Plays Gulliver a Trick, pub. S.W. Fores, 1803
etching with original hand colouring, 29 x 24 cm, contained in an antique birds-eye maple frame
Williams makes a literary allusion to a scene from Swift's "Gulliver's Travels" in this image with Napoleon, who is stuffed into the marrow bone, taking on the role of Gulliver. Comically imprisoned, he futilely raises his fists in an attempt to threaten the "dwarf" who represents Sholto Henry Maclellan, 9th Lord Kirkcudbright (1771-1827). Kirkcudbright was frequently mocked by satirists on account of his unusual and diminutive appearance. Burke's Annual Register noted that he "was short in stature and somewhat deformed in person".
SOLD
James Gillray (1756-1815)
Dido in Despair, Bohn edition, 1847
original etching, hand coloured, 26 x 36 cm, contained within an antique mahogany frame
This etching, first published in 1801, satirizes the scandalous relationship between Nelson and Emma Hamilton, casting them in the roles of Dido and Aeneas, the central love interest of the classical Roman poet Virgil's epic, the Aeneid. Spurred on by the gods and his sense of public duty, Aeneas abandons Dido of Carthage in order to found Rome. Gillray plays with heavy irony upon the parallels between the Virgillian narrative and the recent history of Nelson & Emma. Nelson recuperated at length (and notoriously) at the home of Sir William and Emma, Lady Hamilton, at Naples, eventually returning to England in November 1800, by which time Emma was seven months pregnant with Nelson's child. Nelson, promoted to Vice-Admiral, resumed duty as second-in-command of the Channel Fleet on 17 January 1801. The etching, therefore, refers to this parting, with Emma, excessively fat, in an attitude of despair, voicing the sentiments contained in the verse caption.
£595
George Moutard Woodward (1760-1809)
Comfort for an Old Maid, c.1800
etching with original hand colouring, 25 x 31 cm, contained in an antique birds-eye maple frame
George Moutard Woodward (1760-1809) was an English caricaturist and a friend and drinking companion of Thomas Rowlandson. He was nicknamed 'Mustard George' and has been described as 'a very considerable figure in caricature: he was original, prolific and varied'.
£295
George Moutard Woodward (1760-1809)
John Bull bringing Bonaparte to London, pub. William Holland, 1803
etching with original hand colouring, 25 x 35 cm, contained in an antique birds-eye maple frame
Shortly before this print was published Britain had declared war on France after the brief interlude imposed by the Treaty of Amiens.
SOLD
Isaac Cruikshank (1764-1811)
Poor Jack, pub. W. Fores, 1791
etching with original hand colouring, 17 x 24 cm, contained in an antique birds-eye maple frame
The interior of a sailor's tavern. On the left a pretty young barmaid holds up a tankard for an armless sailor to drink from, while in the centre a merry one-legged sailor dances a hornpipe holding up a frothing tankard engraved with an anchor. In the background two old salts play dominoes and a fat man smokes his pipe. A sympathetic satire on the devastating effects of war.
£295
Piercy Roberts (fl. 1801-06)
A Stoppage to a Stride over the Globe, c.1803
etching with original hand colouring, 35 x 24 cm, contained in an antique birds-eye maple frame
Piercy Roberts was a caricaturist, printmaker and publisher who worked from premises in Holborn. This striking image either derives from, or is the origin of, a verse that appeared in the 'Gentleman's Magazine' in November 1803 and began : "Bonaparte, the Corsican, to gain a Consul's robe, sir; Was by ambition strongly urged to stride across the globe, sir; He strode o'er France, he threw his leg o'er Switzerland and Italy; And a tidy spot then caught his eye, a Paradise it seem'd to be; It was that garden England call'd he threaten'd soon to land on; A little fruitful spot of ground John Bull had clapp'd his hand on".
SOLD
Aaron Martinet (1762-1841)
Les Dames Anglaises Apres Diné, pub. 1814
etching with original hand colouring, 17 x 27 cm, contained in an antique birds-eye maple frame
A charming French cartoon mocking English social customs.
SOLD
