In a room reminiscent of a magician's study, the King, dressed in a cloak as Friar Bacon (a necromancer of popular fable), evokes visions of the royal power while the brazen head speaks. Each vision is represented by a large medallion inscribed, "Constitution," and shows a different balance of power between the king and both houses of Parliament. On the left, Fox, Burke, and North, peek in through an open door, appearing alarmed. On the right, a number of men walk down the "back stairs." The first of them, carrying a conspirator's lantern and led by the devil, is Lord Temple
Description:
Title etched below image., Printmaker from British Museum catalogue., Sheet trimmed within plate mark., 1 print : etching on laid paper, hand-colored ; plate mark 24.7 x 34.8 cm, on sheet 25.2 x 35.5 cm., and Formerly mounted on leaf 47 of volume 1 of 14 volumes.
Publisher:
Pubd. March 3d, 1784, by W. Humphrey, No. 227 Strand
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain
Subject (Name):
George III, King of Great Britain, 1738-1820, Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, Burke, Edmund, 1729-1797, North, Frederick, Lord, 1732-1792, Buckingham, George Nugent Temple Grenville, Marquess of, 1753-1813, Bacon, Roger, 1214?-1294., and Pitt, William, 1759-1806.
Subject (Topic):
Politics and government, Wizards, Magic, and Devil
"Design in an oval, placed on an oblong background representing a stone wall, and thus simulating the projection of a magic lantern. The figures, except Wilberforce, are light against a dark background. Addington, Hawkesbury, and Fox, as the three witches in Macbeth, cook their hell-broth in a cauldron. From this rises a cloud inscribed 'PEACE' which frames a skeleton (of Britannia). Its long hair shows that it is that of a woman; in one hand is a trident, in the other her shield. From the pot issue the tail and one paw of the British lion. His decollated head lies on the ground (right); on it stands a crowing Gallic cock wearing a tiny bonnet rouge. Addington stands on the left ladling into the pot guineas from a sack inscribed: 'To make Gruel Thick & Slab' [Macbeth, iv. i]. He raises his right arm, holding up an olive branch; a serpent twines round arm and branch; its fangs pointing at the word 'Peace'. Hawkesbury crouches on the right, recklessly feeding the fire with papers inscribed: 'Dominion of the Sea', 'Egypt', 'Malta', 'Cape', 'Continental Alliances', 'Honduras', 'Switzerland', 'Brit[isk] Isles'; beside him are others: 'Gibralter' and 'Ireland'. Among the papers already blazing the word 'West Indies' is just visible. At his side hangs an ink-pot with a pen, suspended from a tricolour ribbon, indicating the Foreign Secretary. Behind him Fox, as a fat old woman, stands full face, holding up a broom tied with a tricolour ribbon. All three wear conical hats; that of Addington has a tricolour favour, that of Fox a tricolour cockade and bunches of olive. Addington is grave, Hawkesbury melancholy, Fox exultant. In front of the cauldron, beside the lion's head, kneels Wilberforce (left), a little figure in Monkish robes, hideously caricatured, chanting a 'Hymn of Peace' from an open book."--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched below image. and Mounted on leaf 51 of volume 5 of 12.
Publisher:
Pubd. Jany. 5th, 1803, by J. Gillray, 27 St. James's Street
Subject (Name):
Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, Sidmouth, Henry Addington, Viscount, 1757-1844, Liverpool, Robert Banks Jenkinson, Earl of, 1770-1828, and Wilberforce, William, 1759-1833
Title from item., Printmaker identified in British Museum online catalogue., Sheet trimmed mostly within plate mark., Publisher's advertisement following imprint: Folios of caracatures [sic] lent out for the evening., and Temporary local subject terms: Literature: reference to William Shakespeare's Macbeth -- Politicians -- Opposition to Treasonable Practices and Seditious Meetings bills.
Publisher:
Pubd. Decr. 21st, 1795, by S.W. Fores, No. 50 Piccadilly
Subject (Name):
Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806 and Pitt, William, 1759-1806
"The Marquis of Buckingham, tall and bulky, stands against a measuring-post (left); Lord Derby, standing on a table, adjusts the horizontal bar to his head. Buckingham, wearing dark spectacles, stands without his shoes (which lie beside him), and holding his hat; he faces Fox, who is seated on a drum (right), and says: "To Pitt I made my Proposition But he rejected the Condition So I enlist with Opposition". He holds out to Fox a paper: 'Condition to be first Lord of the Admiralty'. Fox, taking the paper, scrutinizes it through a glass with a pleased smile. His drum is inscribed 'C F' and beside him is a spear from whose tasselled head hangs a placard: 'Watch Word Peace'. From the top of the measuring-post flies a flag of three horizontal stripes inscribed 'The Standard of Opposition.'"--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched below image., Signed with the monogram of James Sayers., Sixth of a set of seven prints "Outlines of the Opposition in 1795 ..."; see British Museum catalogue., Plate numbered "6" in upper left corner., Temporary local subject terms: Opposition -- House of Commons: Recruits for the Opposition -- Slogans: "Watch word peace" -- Measuring posts -- Spectacles -- Reference to William Pitt, 1759-1806., and Mounted to 37 x 28 cm.
Publisher:
Published by H. Humphrey, New Bond Street
Subject (Name):
Buckingham, George Nugent Temple Grenville, Marquess of, 1753-1813, Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, and Smith-Stanley, Edward, 1752-1834
"The Marquis of Buckingham, tall and bulky, stands against a measuring-post (left); Lord Derby, standing on a table, adjusts the horizontal bar to his head. Buckingham, wearing dark spectacles, stands without his shoes (which lie beside him), and holding his hat; he faces Fox, who is seated on a drum (right), and says: "To Pitt I made my Proposition But he rejected the Condition So I enlist with Opposition". He holds out to Fox a paper: 'Condition to be first Lord of the Admiralty'. Fox, taking the paper, scrutinizes it through a glass with a pleased smile. His drum is inscribed 'C F' and beside him is a spear from whose tasselled head hangs a placard: 'Watch Word Peace'. From the top of the measuring-post flies a flag of three horizontal stripes inscribed 'The Standard of Opposition.'"--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched below image., Signed with the monogram of James Sayers., Sixth of a set of seven prints "Outlines of the Opposition in 1795 ..."; see British Museum catalogue., Plate numbered "6" in upper left corner., Temporary local subject terms: Opposition -- House of Commons: Recruits for the Opposition -- Slogans: "Watch word peace" -- Measuring posts -- Spectacles -- Reference to William Pitt, 1759-1806., and Mounted on page 89 with one other print.
Publisher:
Published by H. Humphrey, New Bond Street
Subject (Name):
Buckingham, George Nugent Temple Grenville, Marquess of, 1753-1813, Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, and Smith-Stanley, Edward, 1752-1834
"The Marquis of Buckingham, tall and bulky, stands against a measuring-post (left); Lord Derby, standing on a table, adjusts the horizontal bar to his head. Buckingham, wearing dark spectacles, stands without his shoes (which lie beside him), and holding his hat; he faces Fox, who is seated on a drum (right), and says: "To Pitt I made my Proposition But he rejected the Condition So I enlist with Opposition". He holds out to Fox a paper: 'Condition to be first Lord of the Admiralty'. Fox, taking the paper, scrutinizes it through a glass with a pleased smile. His drum is inscribed 'C F' and beside him is a spear from whose tasselled head hangs a placard: 'Watch Word Peace'. From the top of the measuring-post flies a flag of three horizontal stripes inscribed 'The Standard of Opposition.'"--British Museum online catalogue, description of a variant state
Description:
Title etched below image., Signed with the monogram of James Sayers., Sixth of a set of seven prints "Outlines of the Opposition in 1795 ..."; see British Museum catalogue., For a variant state with plate number "6" etched in upper left corner, see no. 8641 in the Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum. Division I, political and personal satires, v. 7., Temporary local subject terms: Opposition -- House of Commons: Recruits for the Opposition -- Slogans: "Watch word peace" -- Measuring posts -- Spectacles., Mounted on leaf 69 of James Sayers's Folio album of 144 caricatures., and Watermark: 1805.
Publisher:
Published by H. Humphrey, New Bond Street
Subject (Name):
Buckingham, George Nugent Temple Grenville, Marquess of, 1753-1813, Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, Smith-Stanley, Edward, 1752-1834, and Pitt, William, 1759-1806.
Title from caption below image., Sheet trimmed within plate mark on sides., Temporary local subject terms: Allusion to Dorothy Jordan, 1762-1816 -- Allusion to Marie Antoinette, queen of France, 1755-1793 -- Allusion to Daniel Mendoza, 1764-1836 -- Marriages: Duke of York's marriage, 1791 -- Levees., and Mounted to 37 x 56 cm.
Publisher:
Pub Novr 24, 1791, by S.W. Fores, N 3 Piccadilly
Subject (Name):
Frederick Augustus, Prince, Duke of York and Albany, 1763-1827, Frederica Charlotte Ulrica Catherina, Princess, Duchess of York, 1767-1820, George IV, King of Great Britain, 1762-1830, William IV, King of Great Britain, 1765-1837, Barry, Augustus, 1773-1818, Barrymore, Richard Barry, Earl of, 1769-1793, Bedford, Frances Russell, Duke of, 1765-1802, Burke, Edmund, 1729-1797, Hanger, George, 1751?-1824, Dunstan, Jeffery, 1759?-1797, Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, Pitt, William, 1759-1806, Queensberry, William Douglas, Duke of, 1725-1810, Thurlow, Edward Thurlow, Baron, 1731-1806, Sheridan, Richard Brinsley, 1751-1816, and Weltje, Louis, 1745-1810
Title etched below image., Sheet trimmed mostly within plate mark., Temporary local subject terms: Dishes: tankard inscribed 'House' -- Trades: poll clerks -- Theaters: Covent Garden -- Hustings -- Election favors -- Elections: parochial poll books -- Parishes: St. James's Parish -- St. Martin's Parish., Watermark in center of sheet., and Mounted to 25 x 34 cm.
Publisher:
Publish'd Aprill [the] 16, 1784, by J. Wallis, No. 16 Ludgate
Subject (Geographic):
England and London.
Subject (Name):
Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, Cavendish, Georgiana Spencer, Duchess of Devonshire, 1757-1806, House, Samuel, -1785, Wray, Cecil, Sir, 1734-1805, Hood, Samuel Hood, Viscount, 1724-1816, and Great Britain. Parliament
Subject (Topic):
Elections, 1784, Crutches, and Political elections
"Fox and Sheridan (left) sit together at the head of a rectangular table on which is a punch-bowl, &c, looking with dismay at whigs (right), who advance to hurl their wigs at a large pile of wigs on the left (inscribed 'The Heads having Scratched out of the Club'), or retire, having already done so. Fox and Sheridan wear enormous wigs, the former says, "Brother: Brother: we are all in the wrong" ... Before Fox is a list with names scored through. Sheridan grasps a bottle of 'Sherry'. A couple advance together, in the act of hurling their large wigs at the pile; one says, "I will Scratch out my Name in hopes of getting in for the City" (probably Nathaniel Newnham, returned for the City 1784, but defeated in 1790, cf. British Museum satires no. 7162). The other is perhaps Windham. The only one of the retiring wigless Whigs who is characterized is Burke. All say: "We have erased our Names for ever from the Club, when the Artful & Ambitious designs of a Faction are carried on under a Mask of Prudential Reform & when the leading Members are Notoriously known to Carry on a secret Correspondence with the Avowed Enemies of the Constitution they Affect to Support & Defend it is high time for all prudent & real friends to that Constitution to leave them to their Just Punishment, the Contemp of all true Friends to their King and Constitution."--British Museum online catalogue
Alternative Title:
Crack in the Wig Club
Description:
Title etched below image., Artist and printmaker unidentified; attributed to Isaac Cruickshank in the British Museum catalogue., Imprint continues: ... where may be had complete setts of Caricatures on th [sic] French Revolution & on every popular subject. An exhibition admt 1s. in which is a correct model of the guillotine 6 feet high., With publisher's hand-coloring., From a Humphrey's blue paper 'shop' album; price and identities written in ink in the margins, probably in the hand of James Gillray on front. See Andrew Edmunds' description., and On the back, a red stamp with a florish above 'SMP'. Also in black in, in upper left corner "Benier' and in the right corner 'AR'.
Publisher:
Pub. March 17, 1793, by S.W. Fores, No. 3 Piccadilly ...
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain
Subject (Name):
Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, Burke, Edmund, 1729-1797, Sheridan, Richard Brinsley, 1751-1816, Windham, William, 1750-1810, Newnham, Nathaniel, approximately 1741-1809, and Whig Club (London, England)
Subject (Topic):
Eating & drinking, Quarreling, Taverns (Inns), Wigs, Whig Party (Great Britain), and Politics and government
"Fox as Abdallah, captain of the thieves, leads his band towards the treasure-cave; he stands in profile to the right., facing the cave where a Chancellor's gown and a Chief Justice's gown are suspended. On a table decorated with the Royal Arms are three coronets; in front of it, two sacks of 'Cash', a mace, large rolls of parchment inscribed 'Places' and 'Pensions'. The thieves all wear jewelled turbans with aigrettes, Turkisn trousers tucked into boots, zouave jackets edged with fur over short sleeves. Each holds a sabre. Fox exclaims "Open Sesame." The thieves are crowded together behind Fox and Sheridan, who points to the cave, turning round to say: "Glorious spoils comrades in this Cavern of Ours, surely there is enoug to satisfy us all, I long to lead a sober steady Life." The other thieves are not characterized, and it is not clear to which speaker the different speeches belong. Behind and between Sheridan and Fox is Sidmouth saying: "Blister me [cf. BMSat 9849] if I dont think my exploits deserve that roll of Parchment." Windham (regarded as a war-monger, cf. BMSat 9871), says: "I should like a little cutting and slashing befor I left off Buisiness!" The Marquis of Buckingham, indicated by spectacles, says: "If the Cady will but make me a Viceroy ill give up this buisiness at once." This speech is also connected with Bedford's profile Next the head of the latter is that of the tall Moira. Erskine (1.) says: "I'll take the black gown trim'd with gold, and the valuble [the mace] that belongs to it. for my share". An unappropriated speech must belong to Ellenborough (not discoverable): "Well I'll take the one with the Fur upon it, and some thing to make up for the want of Gold trimming." Others of the band are little Lord Henry Petty looking up at Sheridan and the bulky Grenville with his sabre resting on his shoulder. Profiles suggest Burdett (on the extreme left.) and Grey."--British Museum online catalogue
Alternative Title:
Scene in the Forty Thievs performing at the Theatre Royal and Scene in the Forty Thieves performing at the Theatre Royal
Description:
Title etched below image., Printmaker from British Museum catalogue., Publisher in British Museum catalogue: E. Walker active from 1789-1813., Figures identified in ms. annotations along outer margin of print., and Mounted to 32 x 47 cm.
Publisher:
Pubd. May, 1806 by Walker, No. 7 Cornhill
Subject (Name):
Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, Sheridan, Richard Brinsley, 1751-1816, Sheridan, Richard Brinsley, 1751-1816., Sidmouth, Henry Addington, Viscount, 1757-1844, Lansdowne, William Petty, Marquis of, 1737-1805, Hastings, Francis Rawdon-Hastings, Marquess of, 1754-1826, Bedford, John Russell, Duke of, 1766-1839, Erskine, Thomas Erskine, Baron, 1750-1823, Windham, William, 1750-1810, Buckingham, George Nugent Temple Grenville, Marquess of, 1753-1813, and Ellenborough, Edward Law, Baron, 1750-1818