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Political Caricatures from the 18th Century

Satirical prints depicting street vendors, political figures, and humorous social commentary through caricatures, capturing the lively spirit of 18th century Britain.

Thomas Rowlandson, British (1756-1827), A Frenchman in November, 1788, hand-colored etching
Thomas Rowlandson, British (1756-1827), A Frenchman in November, 1788, hand-colored etching
327 assets in this story
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Isaac Cruikshank, 1756-1810, British, The Family Party or Prince Bladduds Man Traps, 1799. Etching, hand-colored.
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Preparing for Supper 1790 Thomas Rowlandson A man sits at the dinner table while a maid and footman put a napkin around his neck and push in his chair.. Preparing for Supper. Thomas Rowlandson (British, London 1757-1827 London). 1790. Hand-colored etching and aquatint. Prints
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Veneration (Le Brun Travested, or Caricatures of the Passions). Artist: After George Moutard Woodward (British, ca. 1760-1809 London). Dimensions: sheet: 11 1/2 x 8 7/8 in. (29.2 x 22.6 cm). Etcher: Thomas Rowlandson (British, London 1757-1827 London). Publisher: Rudolph Ackermann, London (active 1794-1829). Series/Portfolio: Le Brun Travested, or Caricatures of the Passions. Date: January 21, 1800. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.
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() Isaac Cruikshank, 1756-1810, British, A Lack Water Canal. Etching, hand-colored.
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fine arts, Bunbury, Henry William (1756 - 1811), graphic, ""I and my Daughter""), aquatinta, circa 1795, private collection,
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Francois Charles Joseph Napoleon, King of Rome, son of Napoleon and Marie Louise 1811-1832. Wearing the sash of the Legion d'honneur and riding In a miniature carriage. Handcoloured lithograph from Le Bibliophile Jacob aka Paul Lacroix's Costumes Historiques de la France (Historical Costumes of France), Administration de Librairie, Paris, 1852.
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Sailors Riding For A Turn From Shields to Newcastle November 1, 1804 Thomas Rowlandson. Sailors Riding For A Turn From Shields to Newcastle. Thomas Rowlandson (British, London 1757-1827 London). November 1, 1804. Hand-colored etching. Rudolph Ackermann, London (active 1794-1829). Prints
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Traditions in Germany around 1820, Bohemia, Haid, digitally retouched reproduction of a template from about 1850, by Albert Kretschmer February 27, 1825 - 11th July 1891, German painter and costumeist 1f -4913838
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The nuptial-bower; - with the evil-one, peeping at the charms of Eden. James Gillray, James, 1756-1815, artist. Cartoon shows William Pitt escorting Eleanor Eden to a vine-shaded bower within which are three large sacks with the British pound symbol on them, possibly representing Pitts debt. Bunches of grapes, crowns, and medallions, suspended from ribbons, hang from the bower. A devil-like creature, the Evil-One, representing Charles James Fox, peers around the bower from the right
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The Times - Or A View Of The Old House In Little Brittain - With Nobody Going To Hannover January 23, 1784 Thomas Rowlandson. The Times - Or A View Of The Old House In Little Brittain - With Nobody Going To Hannover. Thomas Rowlandson (British, London 1757-1827 London). January 23, 1784. Hand-colored etching. William Humphrey (British, 1742-in or before 1814). Prints
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The Times - Or A View Of The Old House In Little Brittain - With Nobody Going To Hannover. Artist: Thomas Rowlandson (British, London 1757-1827 London). Dimensions: Sheet: 9 1/2 × 13 7/8 in. (24.2 × 35.2 cm). Published in: London. Publisher: William Humphrey (British, 1742-before 1814). Subject: Charles James Fox (British, 1749-1806); Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (British, Wimbledon, Surrey 1757-1806 Devonshire); Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford (British, 1732-1792); George III, King of Great Britain and Ireland (British, London 1738-1820 Windsor); The Right Honorable Edmund Burke (British, born Ireland, Dublin 1729-1797 Beaconsfield); Richard Brinsley Sheridan (Irish, Dublin 1751-1816 London). Date: Jan 23, 1784. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.
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James Gillray, 1757-1815, British, The Slough of Despond----; Vide - The Patriots Progress, 1793. Etching, hand-colored.
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() James Gillray, 1757-1815, British, The Siphon's or Tale of a Tub, 1783. Etching, hand-colored.
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The Game of Pins. (IT)
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And there were present the Picninnies, and the Joblillies, .... Illustrations. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection
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Hell Broke Loose, or the Devil to Pay Among the Darling Angels July 9, 1809 Thomas Rowlandson The devil, who wears a judge's wig and robes, stands in front of "Hell Gate" with Patriotism at left and Virtue at right. He stands atop a stone that reads "Two of a Trade Can Never Agree.". Hell Broke Loose, or the Devil to Pay Among the Darling Angels. Thomas Rowlandson (British, London 1757-1827 London). July 9, 1809. Hand-colored etching. Thomas Tegg (British, 1776-1846). Prints
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The Infant Hercules February 3, 1784 Thomas Rowlandson British In 1783, at the age of twenty-four, William Pitt became the youngest person ever to head the British government. King George III, who had become fed up with the machinations of a Whig coalition led by Charles James Fox and Frederick Lord North, finally prevailed upon Pitt to accept the premiership. When Rowlandson cast Pitt as the infant Hercules he echoed popular opinion, which saw the youthful minister as a refreshing change from his corrupt, self-serving predecessors. Like the classical hero, Pitt displays amazing strength as he strangles serpents determined to dispatch him. The snakes have the heads of Fox and North, while the shield marked "Chatham" implies that Pitt inherited his zeal from his famously principled father, the Earl of Chatham, just as Herculess supernatural strength came from his father, the god Jupiter.. The Infant Hercules 392688
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Cartoon, Paris Commune, 1871. The Paris Commune was established when the citizens of Paris, many of them armed National Guards, rebelled against the policies of the conservative government formed after the end of the Franco-Prussian War. The left-wing regime of the Commune held sway in Paris for two months until government troops retook the city in bloody fighting in May 1871. One of the first policies it implemented was to grant a remission of rents accrued during the period of the Prussian siege of Paris. The events of the Commune were an inspiration to Karl Marx as well as later communist leaders including Lenin, Trotsky and Mao.
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THE MONTGOLFIER BROTHERS (1745-99; 1740-1810) French balloonists, Etienne and Joseph
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A Duet. Artist: Anonymous, British, 18th century. Dimensions: Sheet (trimmed within plate): 9 in. × 7 5/16 in. (22.8 × 18.5 cm). Sitter: May respresent Carl Friedrich Abel (German, Cöthen 1723-1787 London); Man represent Johann Christian Bach (German, 1735-1782); May represent Johann Christian Fisher (German, ca. 1733-1800). Date: 1785 ().This satire of two musicians may represent the viol da gamba player Carl Friedrich Abel (or possibly Johann Christian Bach), and the flautist Johann Christian Fisher. The image is similar to Henry William Bunbury's "Concerto Spirituale" (see 17.3.888-219 and 17.3.888-222). Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.
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Pot Fair, Cambridge, James Bretherton, ca. 1730-1806, British, after Henry William Bunbury, 1750-1811, British, 1777, Hand-colored etching
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Joint Stock Street March 10, 1808 Thomas Rowlandson. Joint Stock Street. Thomas Rowlandson (British, London 1757-1827 London). March 10, 1808. Hand-colored etching. Thomas Tegg (British, 1776-1846). Prints
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GUERRA DE LA INDEPENDENCIA. ESPAÑA 1808-1814. REINADO DE FERNANDO VII. " ALEGORIA DEL HAMBRE EN ESPAÑA " O " FELICIDAD DE NAPOLEON A ESPAÑA ". GRABADO COLOREADO. MUSEO MUNICIPAL. MADRID.
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Honoré Daumier, Nayades de la Seine, 1847, color lithograph on paper.
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Committee of Grievances and Apprehensions, James Gillray, 1757-1815, British, 1792, Etching, hand-colored, Sheet: 5 x 9 3/4in. (12.7 x 24.8cm)
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Picture series Life Stages, the Birth, digitally restored reproduction of a collectors picture from c. 1900
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A son has returned to his family and is now being given his share of his father's fortune. Coloured engraving.