James Gillray (13 August 1756
[Gillray, James and Draper Hill (1966). ''Fashionable contrasts''. Phaidon. p. 8.][Baptism register for Fetter Lane (Moravian) confirms birth as 13 August 1756, baptism 17 August 1756] 1June 1815) was a British
caricaturist
A caricaturist is an artist who specializes in drawing caricatures.
List of caricaturists
* Abed Abdi (born 1942)
* Al Hirschfeld (1903–2003)
* Alex Gard (1900–1948)
* Alexander Saroukhan (1898–1977)
* Alfred Grévin (1827–1892)
* Alf ...
and
printmaker
Printmaking is the process of creating work of art, artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand proce ...
famous for his
etched political and social
satire
Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...
s, mainly published between 1792 and 1810. Many of his works are held at the
National Portrait Gallery in London.
Gillray has been called "the father of the
political cartoon
A political cartoon, a form of editorial cartoon, is a cartoon graphic with caricatures of public figures, expressing the artist's opinion. An artist who writes and draws such images is known as an editorial cartoonist. They typically combine a ...
", with his works satirizing
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
,
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
, prime ministers and generals.
Regarded as being one of the two most influential
cartoonist
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and ...
s, the other being
William Hogarth
William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraver, pictorial satirist, social critic, editorial cartoonist and occasional writer on art. His work ranges from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like s ...
, Gillray's
wit and humour, knowledge of life, fertility of resource, keen sense of the ludicrous, and beauty of execution, at once gave him the first place among caricaturists.
Early life
He was born in
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
, London. His father had served as a soldier: he lost an arm at the
Battle of Fontenoy
The Battle of Fontenoy was a major engagement of the War of the Austrian Succession, fought on 11 May 1745 near Tournai in modern Belgium. A French army of 50,000 under Marshal Saxe defeated a Pragmatic Army of roughly the same size, led by th ...
and was admitted, first as an inmate and subsequently as an outdoor pensioner, at
Chelsea Hospital
The Royal Hospital Chelsea is a retirement home and nursing home for some 300 veterans of the British Army. Founded as an almshouse, the ancient sense of the word "hospital", it is a site located on Royal Hospital Road in Chelsea. It is an i ...
. Gillray commenced life by learning letter-engraving, at which he soon became adept. Finding this employment irksome, he then wandered for a time with a company of strolling players. After a chequered experience, he returned to London and was admitted as a student in the
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...
, supporting himself by engraving, and probably issuing a considerable number of caricatures under fictitious names. His caricatures are almost all in
etching
Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...
, some also with
aquatint
Aquatint is an intaglio printmaking technique, a variant of etching that produces areas of tone rather than lines. For this reason it has mostly been used in conjunction with etching, to give both lines and shaded tone. It has also been used h ...
, and a few using
stipple
Stippling is the creation of a pattern simulating varying degrees of solidity or shading by using small dots. Such a pattern may occur in nature and these effects are frequently emulated by artists.
Art
In printmaking, stipple engraving is ...
technique. None can correctly be described as
engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a Burin (engraving), burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or Glass engraving, glass ...
s, although this term is often loosely used to describe them.
Hogarth's works were the delight and study of his early years. ''Paddy on Horseback'', which appeared in 1779, is the first caricature which is certainly his. Two caricatures on
Admiral Rodney
Admiral George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB ( bap. 13 February 1718 – 24 May 1792), was a British naval officer. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularly his victory over the French at the ...
's naval victory at the
Battle of the Saintes
The Battle of the Saintes (known to the French as the Bataille de la Dominique), also known as the Battle of Dominica, was an important naval battle in the Caribbean between the British and the French that took place 9–12 April 1782. The Brit ...
, issued in 1782, were among the first of the memorable series of his political sketches.
Adult life
![Very slippy-weather](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Very_slippy-weather.jpg)
The name of Gillray's publisher and print seller,
Hannah Humphrey
Hannah Humphrey (active 1745–1818 in London) was a leading London print seller of the 18th century, significant in particular for being the publisher of much of James Gillray's output.The site indicates Humphrey published nearly 650 prints by Gil ...
—whose shop was first at 227
Strand
Strand may refer to:
Topography
*The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a:
** Beach
** Shoreline
*Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida
Places Africa
*Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa
* Strand Street, ...
, then in
New Bond Street
Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the l ...
, then in
Old Bond Street
Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the l ...
, and finally in
St James's Street
St James's Street is the principal street in the district of St James's, central London. It runs from Piccadilly downhill to St James's Palace and Pall Mall. The main gatehouse of the Palace is at the southern end of the road; in the 17th centur ...
—is inextricably associated with that of the caricaturist himself. Gillray lived with Miss (often called Mrs) Humphrey during the entire period of his fame. It is believed that he several times thought of marrying her, and that on one occasion the pair were on their way to the church, when Gillray said: "This is a foolish affair, methinks, Miss Humphrey. We live very comfortably together; we had better let well alone." There is no evidence, however, to support the stories which scandalmongers invented about their relations. One of Gillray's prints, "Twopenny Whist", is a depiction of four individuals playing cards, and the character shown second from the left, an ageing lady with eyeglasses and a bonnet, is widely believed to be an accurate depiction of Miss Humphrey.
Gillray's plates were exposed in Humphrey's shop window, where eager crowds examined them. One of his later prints, ''Very Slippy-Weather'', shows Miss Humphrey's shop in St. James's Street in the background. In the shop window a number of Gillray's previously published prints, such as ''Tiddy-Doll the Great French Gingerbread Maker, Drawing Out a New Batch of Kings; His Man, Talley Mixing up the Dough'', a satire on
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
's king-making proclivities, are shown in the shop window.
![L-Assemblee-Nationale-Gillray](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/L-Assemblee-Nationale-Gillray.jpeg)
Gillray's eyesight began to fail in 1806. He began wearing spectacles but they were unsatisfactory. Unable to work to his previous high standards, James Gillray became depressed and started drinking heavily. He produced his last print in September 1809. As a result of his heavy drinking Gillray suffered from gout throughout his later life.
His last work, from a design by
Bunbury, is entitled ''Interior of a Barber's Shop in Assize Time'', and is dated 1811. While he was engaged on it he became mad, although he had occasional intervals of sanity, which he employed on his last work. The approach of madness may have been hastened by his intemperate habits.
In July 1811 Gillray attempted to kill himself by jumping out of an attic window above Humphrey's shop in St James's Street. Gillray lapsed into insanity and was looked after by Hannah Humphrey until his death on 1 June 1815 in London; he was buried in St James's churchyard,
Piccadilly
Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Court, ...
.
The art of caricature
A number of his most trenchant satires are directed against
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
, who, after examining some of Gillray's sketches, said "I don't understand these caricatures." Gillray revenged himself for this utterance by his caricature entitled ''A Connoisseur Examining a Cooper'', which he is doing by means of a candle on a "save-all", so that the sketch satirises at once the king's pretensions to knowledge of art and his miserly habits.
During the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
, Gillray took a conservative stance, and he issued caricature after caricature ridiculing the French and
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
(usually using
Jacobin
, logo = JacobinVignette03.jpg
, logo_size = 180px
, logo_caption = Seal of the Jacobin Club (1792–1794)
, motto = "Live free or die"(french: Vivre libre ou mourir)
, successor = Pa ...
) and glorifying
John Bull
John Bull is a national personification of the United Kingdom in general and England in particular, especially in political cartoons and similar graphic works. He is usually depicted as a stout, middle-aged, country-dwelling, jolly and matter- ...
. A number of these were published in the ''
Anti-Jacobin Review
''The Anti-Jacobin Review and Magazine, or, Monthly Political and Literary Censor'', was a conservative British political periodical active from 1798 to 1821. Founded founded by John Gifford (pseud. of John Richards Green) after the demise of Wi ...
''. He is not, however, to be thought of as a keen political adherent of either the
Whig or the
Tory
A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...
party; his caricatures satirized members of all sides of the political spectrum.
![Monstrous craws, at a new coalition feast](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Monstrous_craws%2C_at_a_new_coalition_feast.jpg)
The times in which Gillray lived were peculiarly favourable to the growth of a great school of caricature. Party warfare was carried on with great vigour and not a little bitterness; and personalities were freely indulged in on both sides. Gillray's incomparable wit and humour, knowledge of life, fertility of resource, keen sense of the ludicrous, and beauty of execution, at once gave him the first place among caricaturists. He is distinguished in the history of caricature by the fact that his sketches are real works of art. The ideas embodied in some of them are sublime and poetically magnificent in their intensity of meaning, while the forthrightness—which some have called coarseness—which others display is characteristic of the general freedom of treatment common in all intellectual departments in the 18th century. The historical value of Gillray's work has been recognized by many discerning students of history. As has been well remarked: "
Lord Stanhope has turned Gillray to account as a veracious reporter of speeches, as well as a suggestive illustrator of events."
![Gillray Temperance 051126](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Gillray_Temperance_051126.jpg)
His contemporary political influence is borne witness to in a letter from Lord Bateman, dated 3 November 1798. "The Opposition", he writes to Gillray, "are as low as we can wish them. You have been of infinite service in lowering them, and making them ridiculous." Gillray's extraordinary industry may be inferred from the fact that nearly 1000 caricatures have been attributed to him; while some consider him the author of as many as 1600 or 1700. According to the
''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Eleventh Edition, "Gillray is as invaluable to the student of English manners as to the political student, attacking the social follies of the time with scathing satire; and nothing escapes his notice, not even a trifling change of fashion in dress. The great tact Gillray displays in hitting on the ludicrous side of any subject is only equalled by the exquisite finish of his sketches—the finest of which reach an epic grandeur and
Miltonic
John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...
sublimity of conception."
Gillray's caricatures are generally divided into two classes, the political series and the social, though it is important not to attribute to the term "series" any concept of continuity or completeness. The political caricatures comprise an important and invaluable component of the history extant of the latter part of the reign of George III. They were circulated not only in
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
but also throughout Europe, and exerted a powerful influence both in Britain and abroad. In the political prints,
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
, George's wife
Queen Charlotte
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and of Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until the union of the two kingdoms ...
, the
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
(later
prince regent
A prince regent or princess regent is a prince or princess who, due to their position in the line of succession, rules a monarchy as regent in the stead of a monarch regnant, e.g., as a result of the sovereign's incapacity (minority or illness ...
, then
King George IV
George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...
),
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
,
Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger (28 May 175923 January 1806) was a British statesman, the youngest and last prime minister of Great Britain (before the Acts of Union 1800) and then first prime minister of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Ire ...
,
Burke
Burke is an Anglo-Norman Irish surname, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (–1206) had the surname ''de Burgh'' which was gaelicised ...
and
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
are the most prominent figures. In 1788 appeared two fine caricatures by Gillray. ''Blood on Thunder fording the Red Sea'' represents
Lord Thurlow
Baron Thurlow, of Thurlow in the County of Suffolk, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created on 11 June 1792 for the lawyer and politician Edward Thurlow, 1st Baron Thurlow, with remainder to his younger brothers and the heirs ...
carrying
Warren Hastings
Warren Hastings (6 December 1732 – 22 August 1818) was a British colonial administrator, who served as the first Governor of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal), the head of the Supreme Council of Bengal, and so the first Governor-Genera ...
through a sea of gore: Hastings looks very comfortable, and is carrying two large bags of money. ''Market-Day'' pictures the ministerialists of the time as cattle for sale.
![The cow pock](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/The_cow_pock.jpg)
Among Gillray's best satires on
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
are: ''Farmer George and his Wife'', two companion plates, in one of which the king is toasting muffins for breakfast, and in the other the queen is frying sprats; ''The Anti-Saccharites'', where the royal pair propose to dispense with sugar, to the great horror of the family; ''A Connoisseur Examining a Cooper''; the paired plates ''A Voluptuary under the Horrors of Digestion'' and ''Temperance enjoying a Frugal Meal'', satirising the excesses of the Prince Regent (later
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...
) and the miserliness of his father,
George III of the United Kingdom
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until Acts of Union 1800, the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was ...
respectively; ''Royal Affability''; ''A Lesson in Apple Dumplings''; and ''The Pigs Possessed''.
Other political caricatures include:
''Britannia between Scylla and Charybdis'', a picture in which Pitt, so often Gillray's butt, figures in a favourable light; ''The Bridal Night''; ''
The Apotheosis of Hoche'', which concentrates the excesses of the French Revolution in one view; ''The Nursery with Britannia reposing in Peace''; ''The First Kiss these Ten Years'' (1803), another satire on the peace, which is said to have greatly amused Napoleon;
''The Hand-Writing upon the Wall''; ''The Confederated Coalition'', a swipe at the coalition which superseded the Addington ministry;
''Uncorking Old Sherry''; ''
The Plumb-pudding in danger
''The Plumb-pudding in danger, or, State Epicures taking un Petit Souper'' is an 1805 editorial cartoon by the English artist James Gillray. The popular print depicts caricatures of the British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger and the ne ...
'' (probably the best known political print ever published); ''Making Decent'';
''Comforts of a Bed of Roses''; ''View of the Hustings in Covent Garden''; ''Phaethon Alarmed''; and ''Pandora opening her Box''.
As well as being blatant in his observations, Gillray could be incredibly subtle, and puncture vanity with a remarkably deft approach. The outstanding example of this is his print ''Fashionable Contrasts;—or—The Duchess's little Shoe y
eilding ' to the Magnitude of the Duke's Foot''. This was a devastating image aimed at the ridiculous
sycophancy
In modern English, sycophant denotes an "insincere flatterer" and is used to refer to someone practising sycophancy (i.e., insincere flattery to gain advantage). The word has its origin in the legal system of Classical Athens. Most legal cases o ...
directed by the press towards
Frederica Charlotte Ulrica, Duchess of York, and the supposed daintiness of her feet. The print showed only the feet and ankles of
the Duke and Duchess of York, in an obviously copulatory position, with the Duke's feet enlarged and the Duchess's feet drawn very small. This print silenced forever the sycophancy of the press regarding the union of the Duke and Duchess.
The miscellaneous series of caricatures, although they have scarcely the historical importance of the political series, are more readily intelligible, and are even more amusing. Among the finest are: ''
Shakespeare Sacrificed''; ''
Two-Penny Whist'' (which features an image of Hannah Humphrey); ''Oh that this too solid flesh would melt'';
''Sandwich-Carrots''; ''
The Gout''; ''Comfort to the Corns''; ''Begone Dull Care''; ''The Cow-Pock'', which gives humorous expression to the popular dread of
vaccination
Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine to help the immune system develop immunity from a disease. Vaccines contain a microorganism or virus in a weakened, live or killed state, or proteins or toxins from the organism. In stimulating ...
; ''Dilletanti Theatricals''; and
''Harmony before Matrimony'' and
''Matrimonial Harmonics''—two exceedingly good sketches in violent contrast to each other.
File:Flemish characters by James Gillray.jpg, ''Flemish Characters'' (1793), published by G. Humphrey, 27 St James's Street
St James's Street is the principal street in the district of St James's, central London. It runs from Piccadilly downhill to St James's Palace and Pall Mall. The main gatehouse of the Palace is at the southern end of the road; in the 17th centur ...
, 1 January 1822
File:Flemish characters by James Gillray (2).jpg, ''Flemish Characters'', published by G. Humphrey, 27 St James's Street
St James's Street is the principal street in the district of St James's, central London. It runs from Piccadilly downhill to St James's Palace and Pall Mall. The main gatehouse of the Palace is at the southern end of the road; in the 17th centur ...
, 1 January 1822
Famous editions
A selection of Gillray's works appeared in ''James Gillray: The Caricatures'' printed between 1818 and the mid-1820s and published by John Miller, Bridge Street and W. Blackwood, Edinburgh. Nine parts were released. The next edition was Thomas McLean's, which was published with a key, in 1830.
In 1851
Henry George Bohn
Henry George Bohn (4 January 179622 August 1884) was a British publisher. He is principally remembered for the ''Bohn's Libraries'' which he inaugurated. These were begun in 1846, targeted the mass market, and comprised editions of standard works ...
put out an edition, from the original plates in a handsome elephant folio, with coarser sketches—commonly known as the "Suppressed Plates"—being published in a separate volume. For this edition
Thomas Wright and
Robert Harding Evans
Robert Harding Evans (1778–1857) was an English bookseller and auctioneer.
Life
Evans was the son of Thomas Evans (1742–1784). After an education at Westminster School he was apprenticed to Thomas Payne of the Mews Gate, and succeeded to t ...
wrote a commentary, a history of the times embraced by the caricatures. Many copies of the Bohn Edition have been broken up into individual sheets and passed off as originals (see
Collecting
The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining items that are of interest to an individual ''collector''. Collections differ in a wide variety of respects, most obvio ...
below). Although the two volumes of the Bohn Edition are often represented as being a complete collection of Gillray's works, this is not the case: for example, ''Doublûres of Characters'' is not included in either volume. This is most likely because this print was not published by Hannah Humphrey, but by John Wright for the ''
Anti-Jacobin Review and Magazine''.
The next edition, entitled ''The Works of James Gillray, the Caricaturist: with the Story of his Life and Times'' (Chatto & Windus, 1874), was the work of Thomas Wright, and introduced Gillray to larger public. This edition, which is complete in one volume, contains two portraits of Gillray, and upwards of 400 illustrations.
Collecting
Auction prices for Gillray's work have increased since the 1970s. At the auction of the Draper Hill Collection at Phillips auctioneers in London in 2001, several key prints, including ''Fashionable Contrasts'', sold for more than US$10,000. Since 2002, annual auctions of caricatures at Bonhams in London, each of which included large selections of Gillray prints, have continued this trend. An impression of ''Light expelling Darkness'' sold in 2006 for over US$9,000, while ''Fashionable Contrasts'' sold in the same year for over US$20,000.
![Maniac-Ravings-Gillray](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Maniac-Ravings-Gillray.jpeg)
This dramatic increase in prices has also led to unscrupulous sellers attempting to pass off prints from the Bohn Edition as originals, and it can be difficult for those unfamiliar with these practices to tell the difference between a restrike (commonly called "a Bohn") and an original. The key indicators of a print coming from the Bohn Edition are (i) the presence of a number in the top, right-hand corner of the print (the number is most commonly in the image itself, but may be outside in the margin); (ii) the fact that the Bohn edition was issued without colouring; and (iii) the fact that the strikes for the main published volumes of the Bohn Edition were printed on both sides of the paper (the Bohn Edition of the so-called "Suppressed Plates" was, like the originals, printed on one side of the paper only). However, the fact that a print is single-sided does not mean that it is not a Bohn restrike: there are in existence many Bohns (for example, ''Light expelling Darkness'') that bear a number, but which are printed on one side of the paper only. These single-sided numbered strikes are almost always printed on much higher quality paper than was used for the bound volumes, and the quality of the printing is usually much superior too, with more care having been taken to ensure a crisp impression. These impressions are believed to have been struck by Henry Bohn with a view to colouring them, and then selling them as high-quality single prints, in much the same way as the prints published in Gillray's lifetime. There are many example of such single-sided restrikes, both coloured and uncoloured. Since prices for Bohns are usually between one-tenth and one-twentieth of those for originals, unscrupulous sellers will go to great lengths to disguise the fact that a print is a Bohn. Some common methods include: (i) tortuously worded descriptions, which attempt to avoid disclosure of the fact the print is a restrike (although some sellers will just plain lie); (ii) if the number is outside the image, trimming the print to the very edges of the image; (iii) if the number is inside the image, carefully abrading the surface to obliterate the number; (iv) cutting strips of the image to remove the number; (v) laying the print to paper or framing it such that it is difficult to determine whether there is printing on the reverse; and (vi) adding colour.
Also recently the prices of the John Miller editions are rapidly increasing in value because they are affordable for collectors and is seen as a solid investment. They are seen as good alternative to the desirable originals of Mrs. Humphrey's print shop.
Gallery
Image:light expelling darkness james gillray.jpg, ''Light expelling Darkness,—Evaporation of Stygian Exhalations,—or—The Sun of the Constitution, rising superior to the Clouds of Opposition'' (1795)
Image:fashionable contrasts james gillray.jpg, ''Fashionable Contrasts;—or—The Duchess's little Shoe yeilding ' to the Magnitude of the Duke's Foot'' (1792)
File:1796-short-bodied-gillray-fashion-caricature.jpg, ''Following the Fashion'' — Short-bodied gowns, a Neo-Classical trend in women's clothing styles (1794)
File:Dr. John Burges, on tiptoe outside a building in Warwick Lan Wellcome V0010922.jpg, ''A Burgess of Warwick Lane'' — Dr. John Burges, on tiptoe outside a building in Warwick Lane (1795)
File:The whore's last shift James Gillray 1779.jpg, ''The Whore's Last Shift'' (1779)
File:A noble lord, on an approaching peace, too busy to attend to the expenditure of a million of the public money by James Gillray.jpg, ''A noble lord, on an approaching peace, too busy to attend to the expenditure of a million of the public money''
File:A group of French savants huddle together at the top of a co Wellcome L0015077.jpg, ''Siege de la Colonee de Pompée'' — A group of French savants huddle together at the top of a column
File:An alchemist using a crown-shaped bellows to blow the flames Wellcome V0011302.jpg, ''The Dissolution'' — Pitt as an alchemist, using a crown-shaped bellows to blow the flames
File:Regardez moi by James Gillray.jpg, ''Regardez moi'' ("Look at me")
File:National conveniences by James Gillray.jpg, ''National Conveniences'', published by Hannah Humphrey 25 January 1796
Influence
Gillray is still revered as one of the most influential political caricaturists of all time, and among the leading cartoonists on the political stage in the United Kingdom today, both
Steve Bell and
Martin Rowson
Martin Rowson ( ; born 15 February 1959) is a British editorial cartoonist and writer. His genre is political satire and his style is scathing and graphic. He characterises his work as "visual journalism". His cartoons appear frequently in ''The ...
acknowledge him as probably the most influential of all their predecessors in that particular arena. Professor David Taylor, a
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
expert in political satire, stated in 2013, "Without question, if the leading cartoonist back then—James Gillray—had depicted
Rob Ford
Robert Bruce Ford (May 28, 1969 – March 22, 2016) was a Canadian politician and businessman who served as the 64th mayor of Toronto from 2010 to 2014. Before and after his term as mayor, Ford was a city councillor representing Ward 2 Etobi ...
he would have been far more merciless than they are today."
Regarded as being one of the two most influential cartoonists, the other being
William Hogarth
William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraver, pictorial satirist, social critic, editorial cartoonist and occasional writer on art. His work ranges from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like s ...
, Gillray has been called the father of the
political cartoon
A political cartoon, a form of editorial cartoon, is a cartoon graphic with caricatures of public figures, expressing the artist's opinion. An artist who writes and draws such images is known as an editorial cartoonist. They typically combine a ...
.
The 20th-century New Zealander cartoonist
David Low described Hogarth as the grandfather and Gillray the father of the political cartoon.
The
face of Court Flunkey from the 1980s/1990s British television satirical puppet show ''
Spitting Image
''Spitting Image'' is a British satirical television puppet show, created by Peter Fluck, Roger Law and Martin Lambie-Nairn. First broadcast in 1984, the series was produced by 'Spitting Image Productions' for Central Independent Television ov ...
'' is a caricature of Gillray, intended as a homage to the father of political cartooning.
In the article titled ''A'' ''Rousseauian Reading of Gillray's National Conveniences'' John Moores wrote, "As National Conveniences and The Fashionable Mamma show, Gillray was interested in the ideas of
Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...
, his work was influenced by them, and, as later designs on revolution and radicalism indicate, he held Rousseau in higher regard than other revolutionary influences, using a Rousseauian technique of misspelling to place uncertainty in his depictions of Rousseau's texts."
References
Further reading
* Haywood, Ian. "'The dark sketches of a revolution': Gillray, the Anti-Jacobin Review, and the Aesthetics of Conspiracy in the 1790s". ''European Romantic Review'' 22.4 (2011): 431–451.
* Haywood, Ian. "The Transformation of Caricature: A Reading of Gillray's The Liberty of the Subject". ''Eighteenth-Century Studies'' 43.2 (2010): 223–242
online*
Hill, Draper. ''Mr. Gillray: The Caricaturist, a Biography'' (Phaidon Publishers Incorporated, distributed by New York Graphic Society, 1965).
* Loussouarn, Sophie. "Gillray and the French Revolution". ''National Identities'' (Sept 2016) 18#3 pp 327–343.
* Patten, Robert L. "Conventions of Georgian Caricature". ''Art Journal'' 43.4 (1983): 331–338.
* Price, Chris. "'Pictorially Speaking, so Ludicrous': George IV on the Dance Floor", ''Music in Art: International Journal for Music Iconography'' XLIII/1–2 (2018), 49–65.
Primary sources
* Gillray, James. ''The Satirical Etchings of James Gillray'' (Dover Publications, 1976), black-and-white reproductions.
External links
James Gillray Gallery at MuseumSyndicateJames Gillrayat The
National Portrait Gallery (United Kingdom)
The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...
.
James Gillrayan
James Gillray: The Art of Caricatureat The
Tate Britain
Tate Britain, known from 1897 to 1932 as the National Gallery of British Art and from 1932 to 2000 as the Tate Gallery, is an art museum on Millbank in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is part of the Tate network of galleries in ...
.
*
James Gillray printsat the Lewis Walpole Library of Yale University.
University of Nottingham Visual Resources – James Gillray cartoonsHistorical and Descriptive Account of the Caricatures of James Gillray by Thomas Wright, R. H. Evans* Princeton University
Gillray Collection* James Gillray: Caricaturis
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillray, James
English illustrators
English cartoonists
English caricaturists
English satirists
People from Chelsea, London
English people of Scottish descent
1756 births
1815 deaths
English printmakers
Burials at St James's Church, Piccadilly