Henry William Bunbury (1 July 1750 – 7 May 1811) was an English

caricaturist A caricaturist is an artist who specializes in drawing caricatures. List of caricaturists * Abed Abdi (born 1942) * Abril Lamarque (1904–1999) * Al Hirschfeld (1903–2003) * Alex Gard (1900–1948) * Alexander Saroukhan (1898–1977) * Alfre ...

. The second son of Sir William Bunbury, 5th Baronet (see

Bunbury baronets The Bunbury Baronetcy, of Bunbury, Oxon and Stanney Hall in the County of Chester, is a title in the Baronetage of England. It was created on 29 June 1681 for Thomas Bunbury, Sheriff of Cheshire from 1673 to 1674 and the member of an ancient Che ...

), of

Mildenhall, Suffolk Mildenhall is a market town in the civil parishes in England, civil parish of Mildenhall High, in the West Suffolk District, West Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. The town is near the A11 road (Great Britain), A11, and is n ...

, he came of an old

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

family. He was educated at

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

and

St Catharine's College, Cambridge St Catharine's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. Founded in 1473 as Katharine Hall, it adopted its current name in 1860. The college is nicknamed "Catz". The colle ...

, and soon showed a talent for drawing, especially for humorous subjects. He temporarily left

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

to embark on a tour of Europe, during which time he may have studied in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

; he returned to school in 1771 but is not known to have completed a degree. His European travels inspired a series of caricatures mocking foreigners, notably his ''La Cuisine de la Poste'', exhibited at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

in 1770. His more serious efforts were no great success, but his caricatures are as famous as those of his contemporaries

Thomas Rowlandson Thomas Rowlandson (; 13 July 1757 – 21 April 1827) was an English artist and caricaturist of the Georgian Era, noted for his political satire and social observation. A prolific artist and printmaker, Rowlandson produced both individual soc ...

and

James Gillray James Gillray (13 August 1756Gillray, 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 list of c ...

, good examples being his ''A Long Story'' (1782), ''Country Club'' (1788), and ''Barber's Shop'' (1803). Most of his caricatures are described in detail in the '' Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires Preserved in the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum''. He was a popular character, and the friend of most of the notabilities of his day, whom he never offended by attempting political satire; his easy circumstances and social position (he was commissioned as lieutenant-colonel of the

West Suffolk Militia The West Suffolk Militia was an auxiliary military unit in the English county of Suffolk in East Anglia. First organised during the Seven Years' War it served on internal security and home defence duties in all of Britain's major wars. It later ...

on 26 August 1788, and was appointed

equerry An equerry (; from French language, French 'stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attend ...

to the

Duke of York and Albany Duke of York and Albany was a title of nobility in the Peerage of Great Britain. The title was created three times during the 18th century and was usually given to the second son of Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarchs. The predeces ...

in 1787) allowed him the leisure to practise his talents. The ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

'' describes his ''A Long Minuet as Danced at Bath'' as the most successful of his lifetime, using an "innovative story-telling" format that is considered a forerunner to the

comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...

. His caricatures were regularly reissued, even as he turned his attention to other subjects: he finished half of a commissioned set of 48 drawings of

Shakespearean William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

works before abandoning the series in 1796, and after the death of his wife and eldest son he took up oil painting. In August 1771 he married Catherine, eldest daughter of Kane William Horneck (an officer in the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

) and his wife Hannah Muggles. Bunbury and Catherine's second son Henry Bunbury succeeded to the

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

Gallery

File:Henry Bunbury - A Soiree - B1986.29.334 - Yale Center for British Art.jpg, alt=, ''A Soiree'', watercolor, pen and black ink on medium, cream wove paper,

Yale Center for British Art The Yale Center for British Art at Yale University in central New Haven, Connecticut, houses the largest and most comprehensive collection of British art outside the United Kingdom. The collection of paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, rare ...

File:Henry Bunbury - The Battle of the Cataplasm - B1977.14.11192 - Yale Center for British Art.jpg, alt=, ''The Battle of the Cataplasm'', hand-colored etching on cream wove paper, Yale Center of British Art File:Dick and Smith seize Chatham (Bunbury).jpg, alt=, ''A Barber's Shop'', copperplate engraving, 1803 File:A barbers shop in assize time by Henry William Bunbury.jpg, alt=, ''A Barbers Shop in Assize Time'', hand-coloured etching and

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 ...

engraving, 1818,

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London that houses a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. When it opened in 1856, it was arguably the first national public gallery in the world th ...

References

External links

National Portrait Gallery: Henry William Bunbury
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20170629115616/http://www.stedmundsbury.gov.uk/sebc/visit/paintings-prints.cfm Bunbury prints within the collection of St. Edmundsbury Heritage Servicebr>Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Art Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bunbury, Henry William English caricaturists English illustrators Alumni of St Catharine's College, Cambridge

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

People educated at Westminster School, London Younger sons of baronets Suffolk Militia officers 1750 births 1811 deaths