In this convoluted satire, a gang of politicians storm a fortress labeled "The Citadel of Office." Each figure in this melee has been identified by Mary George in her description of this print in the British Museum catalog. On the outside of the walls, members of Opposition groups attempt to break through the barrier. The futility of their task is underscored by the uselessness of their weapons and by the fact that the walls have already begun to crumble. With equal comedy, members of the Percival Ministry struggle to defend the walls of their fortress from the invaders. Percival himself fires a cannon loaded with the heads of Wellesley, Ryder, and Melville. Other ministers use their hands to beat back figures who wade out of the "Pool of Corruption," which borders the outer right wall of the Citadel. At the right, several figures set off in a small boat in search of the "Private Door to [the] Treasury." From left to right the figures are identified by George as: Tierney, on a wooden horse; Burdett, flinging mud; Wardel, holding a clothes stool; Lord Temple, the Marquis of Buckingham, and Lord Grenville, carrying a battering ram bearing the head of Ponsonby; Moira, holding a fox with the head of Lord Holland; Sheridan, who has the body of a string of firecrackers, flying over the wall; Lord Lansdowne, seated and squirting a syringe; Romilly, carrying a roll of paper labeled "New Statutes" in his right hand; Sir Vicary Gibbs, who fights Romilly back; Yorke, seated on the wall with his back to the viewer; Whitbread, extending his left hand to receive a seal from Yorke while waving a tankard in his right; Eldon, standing behind the wall and hopelessly wiping tears from his eyes; Woolsack, represented as a sack of wool slumped behind Eldon; Lord Grey and Erskine, tugging at Eldon's wig; Canning, Castlereagh and Sidmouth, who maneuver the boat to the "Private Door to [the] Treasury." Hand colored. The sheet has darkened with age, but the watercolor washes are still bright.
Notes:
Published by M Jones. George attributes the print to De Wilde. In her description of this print, George points to the pitfalls of political satire. She notes that by March 1, the time of publication, this print was out of date. A month earlier, in February, the Prince Regent announced his intentions to maintain the ministry kept by his father, George III. As a result of this decision, the hopes of the Opposition were dashed. However, George does commend the print for its accurate representation of the political hopes and positions of the politicians included in the sheet. 1811-03-01
Caption: Published for the Scourge, March 1st 1811 by M. Jones 5 Newgate St.
"Battle royal, or which has it?"
(1811).
Napoleonic Satires from the Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection, Prints, Drawings and Watercolors from the Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:232219/
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