George IV, with the body a rooster, stands on the "Green Bag" of evidence and looks back over his shoulder at the Queen; from his beak is a speech bubble reading "Rejected Bill," while an eagle with the words "Public Disapprobation" on its wings snatches the crown off his head. To the right of the king are two hens with human faces, likely representing George IV's mistresses. Queen Caroline, likewise with the body of a hen, stands triumphantly atop a pillar inscribed "The Law and the People"; she wears a crown and stands in a column of light that descends from the heavens. Two axes lean against the pillar, while the sword and scales of Justice rest at its base. Ships are seen sailing on the ocean in the background; the Royal Pavilion at Brighton is recognizable on the shore to the right
Alternative Title:
Royal hen, and the dunghill cock
Description:
Title etched below image., Sheet trimmed within plate mark., Not in the catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum., Mounted to 58 x 39 cm., Mounted on leaf 10 in volume 2 of the W.E. Gladstone collection of caricatures and broadsides surrounding the "Queen Caroline Affair.", and Date "Nov. 1820" written in ink in lower right corner.
Publisher:
Published November 1820 by John Fairburn, Broadway, Ludgate Hill
Subject (Name):
George IV, King of Great Britain, 1762-1830, Caroline, Queen, consort of George IV, King of Great Britain, Caroline, Queen, consort of George IV, King of Great Britain, 1768-1821, and Royal Pavilion (Brighton, England),
Subject (Topic):
Chickens, Roosters, Eagles, Bags, Crowns, Mistresses, Sailing ships, Official residences, Axes, Justice, Scales, and Daggers & swords
