James
Gillray
Checklist Part 6
103
le Diable-Boiteux, – or – The Devil upon Two Sticks, conveying
John Bull to the Land of the Promise. – Vide le Sage.
Published by Hannah Humphrey: February 8, 1806
Etching, hand-colored
Pitt’s death on January 23, 1806, led to the formation of the “Ministry
of all the Talents,” believed – incorrectly – to be
in service to the Prince of Wales. Here, Charles James Fox, portrayed
as the Devil, sports a bonnet rouge, the triple plume of the Prince of
Wales, and wings, inscribed with the words “Honesty” and “Humility.” He
soars upward, part of this new ministry, with the support of former Prime
Minister Henry Addington (now Lord Sidmouth) and Baron Grenville. Their
destination is the “Land of Promise” represented by the façade
of Carlton House, the Prince’s residence. John Bull, none too securely,
holds on to Fox’s cloak, which proclaims his commitment to “Loyalty,
Independence & Public Good.” Gillray tucks in three tiny vignettes
that comment on the character of those he regards in power: “Liberty” shows
Sheridan and the Prince gambling; “Chastity” depicts a tryst
between the Prince and Mrs. Fitzherbert; and “Temperance” presents
a drinking scene.
104
Making-Decent; – i.e. – Broad-bottomites getting into
the Grand Costume.
Published by Hannah Humphrey: February 20, 1806
Etching with engraving, hand-colored
In this hilarious spoof, Gillray depicts the members of the new administration, “Ministry
of all the Talents,” preparing themselves for office. While the
other nickname for this administration, the Broad-bottoms, could suggest
broad-based, wide-ranging talent, Gillray intends a different meaning,
readily apparent as Lord Grenville in the center hoists up his ample
breeches. Foreign Secretary Fox, usually portrayed as slovenly, attends
to his five-o’clock shadow; both Fox and Viscount Howick (Charles
Grey) stand before a mirror ornamented with the three-feather crest of
the Prince of Wales, alluding to the Prince’s supposed support
of the new ministry. Lord Sidmouth (Henry Addington) is engulfed in a
cloud of wig powder, and politician and playwright Sheridan, his harlequin
outfit hanging on the wall, pulls a white shirt over his head. Thomas
Erskine adjusts his hat upon his Chancellor’s wig. A miniature
Lord Henry Petty, the freshly appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer,
strutting in the foreground, seems quite pleased with his new attire
and position.
105
“More PIGS than TEATS”, – or – the new Litter
of hungry Grunters, sucking John-Bulls-old Sow to death.
Published by Hannah Humphrey: March 5, 1806
Etching with engraving, hand-colored
Gillray portrays the new ministry as motivated by greed and self-interest,
with many claimants for office vying for far fewer sinecures. In a parody
of a painting by George Morland, Gillray shows John Bull alarmed at the
sight of thirty-two piglets – all of them identifiable political
figures – as they suckle his British sow to death. The Prince of
Wales, wearing a sash, seen from the rear in the center foreground, is
far from a teat; closer to sustenance, to the Prince’s left, is
Fox (who has clambered on top of the Prince’s brother, the Duke
of Clarence), and to Fox’s left, recognizable by his plump posterior,
is Baron Grenville. Sheridan is on top of the pile on the upper left.
As Draper Hill points out, the Broad-bottoms offered Gillray a golden
opportunity. “For the first time since gaining his full stature
as a satirist he was in energetic opposition to the party in power.” Moreover,
this new ministry brought together “most of his favourite targets … united
in one bizarre administration.” A publication issued shortly after
Gillray’s death reported on popular response to this print: “even
the lowest mechanics, gazing at Mrs. Humphrey’s shop-windows in
St. James’s-street, were convulsed with honest broad grins.”
106
A Great Stream from a Petty-Fountain; – or – John Bull
swamped in the Flood of new-Taxes; - Cormorants Fishing in the Stream.
Published by Hannah Humphrey: May 9, 1806
Etching with engraving, hand-colored
While the Whigs had always protested excessive taxation under the Tories,
now that they were in power they not only continued the policies of their
predecessors, but added additional taxes. Gillray’s attack on the
Whig budget shows Henry Petty, the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, as
a fountain from which gushes a “Flood of new-Taxes.” The “Ministry
of all the Talents” is portrayed as a flock of voracious cormorants,
with human heads and greedy pelican-like gullets, who gorge on their
revenue-catch. Grenville, in the center, devours the Treasury and the
Exchequer, while on his right, Sheridan and Viscount Sidmouth (Henry
Addington), and behind him, Fox and Lord Moira, join with their fellow
ministers to gobble up everything in sight. John Bull, his boat swamped,
calls for help.
107
Pacific-Overtures, – or – a Flight from St. CLOUD’S – “over
the Water to Charley.” – a new Dramatic Peace now Rehearsing.
Published by Hannah Humphrey: April 5, 1806
Etching with engraving, hand-colored
In the guise of an elaborate theatrical performance, Gillray visualizes
Fox’s peace negotiations with Napoleon, which he indicts as Jacobin
treachery. The leading actors are a bemused, but not cowed, George III,
and a belligerent Napoleon, who grandly gestures to a scroll, unfurled
by Talleyrand, containing his outrageous peace demands. Talleyrand stands
on a cornucopia, from which pours subversive literature and references
to radical organizations: “Address to the Papists”; “London
Corresponding Society”; “United Irishmen.” Skeletal
French grenadiers, leading banners of English, Irish, and Scottish armies,
stand at attention, while the Irish radical Arthur O’Connor, his
finger conspiratorially pressed against his nose, reminds the Whigs of
their (unwitting) collusion in his treachery. Gillray suggests that each
member of the new “Broad-bottom” Ministry “orchestra” plays
a different tune, but the audience, nevertheless, enjoys the show. The
Prince’s brother, the Duke of Clarence (later William IV) and his
paramour, the actress Mrs. Jordan, sit in the top balcony, while the
radicals Horne Tooke and Sir Francis Burdett, seated above the Prince
of Wales and Mrs. Fitzherbert, applaud Napoleon and Talleyrand. One account
states that the King was incensed that Gillray showed the Prince with
Mrs. Fitzherbert, but whether it was at the King’s or the Prince’s
request, Gillray later substituted Lord Derby for the Prince in a second
state of this satire.
108
News from Calabria! Capture of Buenos Ayres,! – i.e. – the
Comforts of an Imperial Déjeuné at St. Cloud’s.
Published by Hannah Humphrey: September 13, 1806
Etching and aquatint with engraving, hand-colored
Gillray shows Napoleon in a fit of temper, triggered by the news of
the French defeat at Maida in Calabria and the capture of Buenos Aires
(albeit briefly) by the English. These defeats are contrasted with the
French successes, celebrated by the paintings ascribed to Jacques-Louis
David on the wall in the background. Talleyrand takes the brunt of Napoleon’s
ire, though Josephine is unfortunately in the path of a cascade of boiling
water, which gushes from an urn Napoleon wields as a weapon. The Emperor
is also besieged by supplicants, whose petitions suggest that there is
mounting political resistance to French rule throughout Europe. Such
reports of unrest and revolt were mostly premature. Although Britain
continued to demonstrate naval supremacy and Trafalgar ended fears of
a French invasion, it would be a number of years before the war on land
began to turn in her favor.
109
Comfort’s of a BED of ROSES; – vide. Charley’s elucidation
of Lord C-st-r-gh’s Speech! – A Nightly Scene near Cleveland
Row.
Published by Hannah Humphrey: April 21, 1806
Etching and aquatint with engraving, hand-colored
On April 3, 1806, Robert Castlereagh, Secretary of State for War until
Pitt’s death, reported to his successor, William Windham, that
Pitt’s scheme for the military had been a success. Contrary to “the
difficulties and embarrassment under which they [the new Grenville “Ministry
of all the Talents”] are disposed to represent themselves … [they]
may be considered as on a Bed of Roses.” To which Fox retorted, “Really
it is insulting, to tell me I am on a bed of roses, when I feel myself
torn and stung by brambles and nettles, whichever way I turn.” Gillray
must have considered Fox’s point was well taken. Although the danger
of French invasion had ended with Trafalgar (October 21, 1805), Napoleon
had won a major victory over the Austrians at Ulm, and on November 13,
1805, he had entered Vienna in triumph. In December, he defeated the
combined Austrian and Russian armies in the Battle of Austerlitz. With
the Treaty of Pressburg (December 26, 1805), Austria gave up considerable
territory to further Napoleon’s plan to create a “ring of
French client states” beyond the Rhine, the Alps, and the Pyrenees.
Here, Fox and his wife are beset by nightmares: the ghost of William
Pitt and a barking John-Bulldog sound the alarm that Britain is under
siege from Napoleon and his troops. A skeletal Death slithers out from
under the bed, holding an hourglass showing that time is running out.
The rose-patterned bedspread becomes a thorny political situation.
110
Comforts of a Bed of Roses
Pen and ink, with extensive inscriptions in pen and ink and pencil, 1806
In this early study, Gillray reiterates (on the left) Castlereagh’s
speech, as he develops the image of Death emerging from under the bed.
On the other side of the sheet, he seems to be ruminating about a gathering
of the Broad-bottoms: “Grande Regime. i.e. a Broadbottom Ordinary,
a Cabanitical Dinner,” not unlike, as Richard Godfrey points out,
the dining scene in Political Mathematician’s (#115).
111
Comforts of a Bed of Roses
Pen and black ink, with gray wash and red chalk,
1806
Here Gillray works up the center portion of his scene, the embracing
couple. Numerous voyeurs, including Napoleon, peek out of the surrounding
foliage.
112
John Bull Roasted
Pen and black ink, graphite, red wash, and traces of red chalk, ca. 1807
This drawing of a plump cook basting John Bull, personified as an ox,
never evolved into a print. In one of the inscriptions that punctuate
the image, Gillray wrote, “Lord Castlereagh convincing John Bull
that he will be ruin’d if his plan of finance be not adopted.” On
February 12, 1807, Castlereagh had criticized at length the financial
program espoused by Henry Petty, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and
proposed an alternative plan. Possibly Gillray was referring to that
exchange. Among the inscriptions and sketches on the verso of this sheet,
Gillray scribbled: “vide. Debates on abolition of slave trade /
Grenville Breaking off the Shackles.” In 1807, under Grenville’s
leadership and driven by William Wilberforce’s righteous zeal,
Parliament abolished the British slave trade (but not yet slavery).
113
VISITING the SICK.
Published by Hannah Humphrey: July 28, 1806
Etching and aquatint with engraving, hand-colored
In this mock-heroic satire, etched but not conceived by Gillray, Fox
is seen on his deathbed. At the time this print was published, Fox was
considered dangerously, but not terminally, ill. The grieving friends
include, to the left of the invalid, the Prince of Wales, who was a regular
visitor; Lord Henry Petty, Chancellor of the Exchequer, portrayed as
always ready to dance; William Windham; and, towering above them all,
Lord Moira. The Roman Catholic Mrs. Fitzherbert, dressed as an abbess
(as she was in End of the Irish Farce of Catholic-Emancipation, #102),
encourages Fox to confess. In the left corner, Lord Derby administers
smelling salts to Mrs. Fox, who had once been his mistress. In the background,
Lord Sidmouth (Henry Addington) and the Grenvilles relish Fox’s
imminent demise. On the right, the Bishop presses for Catholic Emancipation,
and Sheridan, at the far right in front of the grieving First Lord of
the Admiralty, Lord Howick (Charles Grey), is ready with a “Scheme
for a new Adminis[tration].” Under a chamber pot on the table next
to Fox is a document, “Negotiation for Peace,” referring
to his peace overtures with France. The Grenville administration was
weakened with Fox’s death on September 13, 1806. He was the only
minister able to unite the various factions and interests to which Gillray
alludes in this print.
114
View of the HUSTINGS in Covent Garden. – Vide. The Westminster
Election, Novr. 1806
Published by Hannah Humphrey and J. Budd, for The History of the
Westminster & Middlesex
Elections November 1806: December 15, 1806
Etching with engraving, hand-colored
Gillray here elaborates upon the Westminster election in 1806, a three-way
race between Sheridan, Sir Samuel Hood (a supporter of Grenville), and
a newcomer and rich radical, James Paull. Sheridan had seen himself as
a natural heir to Fox’s old seat, but when he appeared before his
constituency, he was greeted with hoots and catcalls. Radical pamphleteer
and politician William Cobbett, who is present as part of Paull’s
entourage, wrote in his Political Register, “[Sheridan] retired
from before the people for the first time perhaps in his life, in an
agony of mortification and in a rage too violent to admit of concealment.” Gillray
captures this moment of shocked humiliation, as Sheridan recoils from
the verbal attack, despite reassurances from Whitbread (holding a mug
of his own brew). Admiral Hood exits the stage, seemingly amused, while
Paull, surrounded by his liberal supporters, including Sir Francis Burdett
and the round-faced Cobbett, verbally abuses his opponent. Ultimately
Sheridan and Hood were elected, with Paull coming in third. As Draper
Hill points out, Gillray consistently ridiculed Sheridan and, undoubtedly
aware of Sheridan’s sensitivity to the redness of his face, made
certain Mrs. Humphrey’s colorists emphasized that disfigurement.
This print was included as a folded supplement in The History of
the Westminster & Middlesex Elections, and was also sold singly, unfolded,
at Mrs. Humphrey’s printshop.
115
Political Mathematician’s, Shaking the Broad bottom’d
Hemispheres: –
Published by Hannah Humphrey: January 9, 1807
Etching with engraving, hand-colored
This elaborate etching, which recalls sixteenth-century emblematic Netherlandish
satires, comments on domestic politics after the 1806 elections. Gillray
addresses the political tensions affecting the “Ministry of all
the Talents” (the Broad-bottoms), seen here dining lavishly on
the largesse of office inside an inflated, transparent pair of the late
Charles James Fox’s breeches. James Paull, who lost the 1806 Westminster
election, serves as the fulcrum in a seesaw tug of war, which threatens
to topple the breeches (the current ministry), here poised insecurely
on the tri-feathered emblem of the Prince of Wales, set in a bed of roses
(a reference to Lord Castlereagh; see #109), infested by gnawing rats.
On one side, the radical Burdett and his friends pull down on a lever
attached to the breeches, but they are checked by the Pittites in the
distant background, among them, Robert Castlereagh, George Canning, and
Lord Hawkesbury (Charles Jenkinson), who tug in the opposite direction.
Above them, a statue of Pitt is partially hidden in the clouds; at the
lower left, a spectral Fox crawls out of his tomb to “save [his]
Breeches.” Meanwhile, Napoleon carefully watches these machinations
with his spyglass, ready to take advantage of domestic dissension and
unrest, whether caused by the self-interest of the current ministry or
pressures from the Burdettites. Gillray was apparently inspired by Burdett’s
comment: “Paull is fixed upon a Rock, and be assured he will prove
the Fulcrum by means of which the present Broadbottomites will be Overset.”
116
– a Kick at the Broad-Bottoms! – i.e. – Emancipation of “All
the Talents. &c. Vide, the Fate of ye Catholic Bill.
Published by Hannah Humphrey: March 23, 1807
Etching and aquatint, hand-colored
Grenville’s “Ministry of all the Talents” (the Broad-bottoms)
was dismissed when Lord Howick (Charles Grey) proposed opening all military
ranks to Catholics. Though the Army and Navy Bill advocating Catholic
Emancipation was withdrawn in response to royal resistance, the King
further demanded that the Ministers never again approach him on the issue
of concessions to Catholics. On March 18, 1807, they refused to agree
to this order, and the King formed a new ministry the next day.
Gillray shows the King (hidden behind a pillar, but immediately recognizable)
holding Grenville by the hair, while he applies his foot to the latter’s
broad bottom. Grenville loses his hold on the “Catholic Bill, for
bringing the Papists into power, and supporting the Broad-Bottom Jesuits
in their places”; the torn document floats over its author, Lord
Howick. Grenville’s brother Buckingham (wearing glasses) is alarmed,
and his nephew, the massive Temple, rubs his posterior, which has already
received the regal reprimand. Lord Petty and Erskine have toppled over,
while Sheridan and Viscount Sidmouth (Henry Addington) lead the retreat.
117
The Pigs Possessed; – or – the Broad bottom’d Litter
running headlong into ye Sea of Perdition.- a Supplement to More Pigs
than Teats. 1806.
Published by Hannah Humphrey: April 18, 1807
Etching and engraving, hand-colored
Although Grenville had strengthened his administration in a general
election, his ministry was undermined when Lord Howick (Charles Grey)
proposed political concessions to Roman Catholics. The King vehemently
opposed the proposition, and when the Broad-bottom ministry refused the
King’s subsequent demand that they never again mention Catholic
Emancipation, he dismissed them. Seen here as Farmer George, the King
drives the Broad-bottoms, portrayed as plump pigs (a reprise of Gillray’s
earlier satire, “More Pigs than Teats,” #105), into the sea.
Gillray enjoys emphasizing the girth of Grenville, who has already hit
the water, soon to be joined by his spectacled brother, Buckingham. His
nephew Temple, partially submerged, is identified by his generous rump.
Lord Howick, who introduced the bill, floats on his back, feet in the
air. Reluctant to go, Sheridan requires a royal boot.
118
Delicious Dreams! – Castles in the Air! – Glorious Prospects!
Vide. An Afternoon Nap, after the Fatigues – of an Official Dinner.
Published by Hannah Humphrey: April 10, 1808
Etching and aquatint with engraving, hand-colored
Five members of the new ministry, under the leadership of the Duke of
Portland, sleep off the effects of the contents of a punch bowl. In April
1808, there was little reason to think that the tide of war would turn
against Napoleon, then virtual master of Europe. George Canning’s
vision, which materializes above his head, is only a dream. He imagines
triumphant Britannia in a coach, drawn by John Bull, dragging behind
her Napoleon in chains, a Russian bear, and three ex-gingerbread kings.
A cheering crowd holds up flags announcing: “Britannia rules the
World” and “Britannia Triumphs.” From left to right,
Viscount Castlereagh of the War Department, Chancellor of the Exchequer
Perceval, Lord Portland, and Lord Hawkesbury seem to share similar happy
musings. Lord Melville (Henry Dundas) naps under the table.
119
CHARON’S-BOAT, – or – the Ghost’s of “all
the Talents” taking their last voyage, – from the Pope’s
Gallery at Rome.
Published by Hannah Humphrey: July 16, 1807
Etching and aquatint with engraving, hand-colored
This parody of an academic history painting (from “the Pope’s
Gallery at Rome”) is the last of Gillray’s satires on the
departure of the “Ministry of all the Talents” (the Broad-bottoms),
who appear here as passengers on Charon’s boat, the “Broad-Bottom
Packet,” on its journey to the Underworld. Lord Howick (Charles
Grey), ex-First Lord of the Admiralty, in the role of Charon, uses a “Whig
Club” as a punt-pole; the sail, inscribed “Catholic Emancipation,” is
now torn and useless. The boat rides low in the water, weighed down by
the three Grenvilles. Buckingham (only his posterior visible), Sheridan,
and Erskine all suffer from seasickness, while others seem to enjoy the
journey. Lord Petty plucks on a fiddle, while Whitbread, with a tankard
of his own brew, sings. Ex-Prime Minister Viscount Sidmouth (Henry Addington),
who is submerged in the River Styx, hangs onto the gunwale for dear life.
Gillray liberally injects throughout the print references to Catholicism
and France. Awaiting their arrival on the distant shore is Fox, joined
by Cromwell and a headless Robespierre. Three witches or Fates hover
over Hades, representing members of the new ministry under Lord Portland:
Viscount Robert Castlereagh, in the center, flanked by George Canning
and Lord Hawkesbury. Elsewhere in the sky, strange bat-like birds, including
one double-headed creature with the faces of radicals Horne Tooke and
Burdett, rudely bombard the boat below.
120
PHAETON alarm’d!
Published by Hannah Humphrey: March 22, 1808
Etching, engraving, and aquatint, hand-colored
The “Ministry of all the Talents” was followed by an administration
composed of an association of Pittites, led nominally by the Duke of
Portland. The portrayal of George Canning, the new Foreign Secretary,
appearing here as Phaeton, invites comparison with that of his mentor,
William Pitt, as Apollo, in Gillray’s 1795 satire Light Expelling
Darkness (#42, in the North Hall). In his chariot race across the heavens,
pulled by horses with the faces of fellow cabinet ministers, Canning
is attacked by the Opposition, who appear as constellations and signs
of the zodiac. Particularly imaginative is Lord Grenville as Scorpio
Broad-Bottom: his small claws bear the heads of Grenville’s nephew,
Temple; Lord Spencer; the Duke of Bedford; Lord Moira; and Tierney, while
his broad-bottom forms a glowing ring, containing a chalice with the
Host, surrounded by the heads of assorted Whigs. Lord Howick, Canning’s
most implacable enemy, is a fire-breathing python.
Gillray suggests that, like the importunate Phaeton cast down by Zeus,
Canning is losing control of the chariot, whose fiery wheels crush the
scales of justice. Gillray may also have hoped to subtly suggest
to his patron, Canning, that his campaign against the Danish navy (the
crushed scale is labeled “Copenhagen”) fuelled attacks by
the Opposition and contributed to the devastation seen on the earth below,
dominated by Napoleon riding a Russian bear. Fox appears as Pluto in
the lower right corner, while in the lower left, the ghost of Pitt, again
in the guise of Apollo, weeps as he sees his son Phaeton under attack.
The print was accompanied by a broadside, which quotes Ovid’s Metamorphoses (brief excerpts are included in the print itself), with its tale of the
terrors faced by Phaeton.
121
DISCIPLES catching the MANTLE; – the Spirit of Darkness overshadowing
the Priests of Baal.
Published by Hannah Humphrey: June 25, 1808
Etching with engraving, hand-colored
Canning and the new ministry are here viewed more optimistically than
in Phaeton Alarm’d! William Pitt in the guise of Elijah, illuminated
by “Immortality,” ascends to heaven in a chariot of fire.
He tosses down his mantle to the newly appointed ministry, led ostensibly
by the Duke of Portland, as they stand on “The Rock of Ages,” before “The
Altar of the Constitution.” George Canning, the new Foreign Secretary
(in the center), is Elisha, his arms raised up to catch his mentor’s
cloak. This heavenly manifestation panics the Opposition, cowering under
the “Republican Mantle” worn by the ghost of a demonic Fox.
Those who attempt to flee from the “Broad-Bottom Dunghill” include
Lord Grenville (allusions to his support of Catholic emancipation abound,
from his cardinal’s hat to the cross on his cope-like cape), his
brother Buckingham in papal regalia, and Viscount Howick (Charles Grey),
who raises his hands in fear, releasing his extinguished “Torch
of Discord.” Viscount Howick, the ghostly Fox, and Lord Holland
wear bonnets rouges. In the background, a British man-of-war takes aim
at the French coast, alarming Napoleon, who loses his hat.
122
SPANISH-PATRIOTS attacking the FRENCH-BANDITTI; – Loyal Britons
lending a
lift –
Published by Hannah Humphrey: August 15, 1808
Etching with engraving, hand-colored
To carry out a campaign against England’s ally Portugal, Napoleon,
with the French King’s permission, crossed into Spain, and began
an extended occupation of northern Spain. On May 2, 1808, the citizens
of Madrid rose in revolt against the French. Napoleon demanded that both
Ferdinand VII, who had succeeded his father Charles IV as King, and Charles
IV, abdicate in favor of Napoleon’s brother Joseph Bonaparte, then
King of Naples. The Spanish rejected Joseph Bonaparte as their new king,
and though the Madrid uprising was ultimately suppressed, the insurrection
spread throughout Spain and Portugal. On July 23, 1808, the French general
Dupont, with some 18,000 troops, was defeated at Baylén by the
Army of Andalusia under Spanish general Castaños. Napoleon said
of this battle, “The capitulation of Baylén ruined everything.
In order to save his wagons of booty, Dupont committed his soldiers,
his own countrymen, to the disgrace of a surrender which is without parallel.” The
British were quick to appreciate the importance of this battle, which
proved that Napoleon and his army were not invincible.
Gillray’s text mentions “Loyal Briton lending a lift.” A
British grenadier in the foreground dispatches the enemy with his bayonet,
yet it was not until several days after this print was issued that Sir
Arthur Wellesley and his troops joined the fight. The Spanish forces
are here reinforced by nuns and monks (the Church’s power was threatened
by the French), while two courtesans help man a cannon.
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