63 F911 821
Acquired March 2022
A satire on Pitt, part 1 of 3
File 763 795 M991 pt. 1++
Acquired June 2019
A satire on Pitt’s government suggesting his adminstration was a theatre. The layout of the sheet mimics that of a contemporary playbill.
File 53 P68 P691++
Acquired June 2019
“The King steps forward to embrace the Prince of Wales, who throws himself into his father’s arms, saying, “against Heaven – and before thee, and am no more worthy——” (the words fade out). George III wears court dress, the Prince’s dress is tattered and dishevelled, his pocket hangs inside out, the garter at his knee – ‘Honi soit’ – is loose. Behind the King stands the Queen on the door-step, half-smiling, her arms outstretched. Two pleased princesses look over her shoulder. Just outside the door stand Pitt and Moira watching the reconciliation, Pitt with a benign expression, Moira more doubtfully; both wear footmen’s court-livery, of military cut; Moira wears jack-boots. Pitt holds a paper: ‘New Union Act Britains best Hope’, implying that he is the author of the ‘Union’. Moira holds Pitt’s arm. Beside the house (right) are a tree and a balustrade, against which grow a rose-bush and a thistle.”–British Museum online catalogue, description of the Gillray print of which this is a copy.
“A close copy by Williams, with additions, apparently ante-dated … Behind the Prince Lord Dartmouth, Lord Chamberlain, stands full face, holding his wand, his gold key attached to his coat. Pitt and Moira turn their eyes slyly towards each other: both weep large burlesqued tears, as do the Queen and Dartmouth.”–British Museum online catalogue.
804.11.18.01+
Acquired May 2019
“The Prince of Wales …, sword in hand, gallantly protects Britannia against the attack of three conspirators: Pitt raises a headsman’s axe in both hands; Grafton, holding a conspirator’s lantern, is about to strike her with a dagger; Richmond … fires a musket, resting one knee on a cannon. The Prince wears a coronet with three ostrich feathers, he holds out his shield behind Britannia, who cowers towards him in terror.”–British Museum online catalogue, description of the print for which this is the original drawing.
Drawings R79 no. 14 Framed
Acquired November 2017
63 763 Se4
Acquired November 2017
“Four men stand on the sea-shore, in back view but looking to the right: the King of Prussia stands between Holland (left) and Pitt (right); he holds Holland by the ear and kicks Pitt behind, saying, “This is the balance of Europe”. Pitt, who is blindfolded, says, “yes I’ll maintain it”; he holds out in each hand a naming fire-brand to two towns on the right, ‘Cronstadt’ and ‘Rerel’ [sic]. The whole district is in flames, and there are four other burning cities (one ‘Riga’); the flames and smoke from all six merge and are inscribed ‘Russia’, ‘Poland’, ‘Germany’, ‘Austria’. The sea which stretches between Pitt and the burning cities is the ‘Baltic’. On it is a boat containing four men: the helmsman says, “I would rather be a Baltic trader”; the two oarsmen say, “Do not mind it, it will bring other wars” and “No prize money”; a man looking through a telescope says, “No Galeons – Storms, Sholas & Rocks.” A man standing on the shore shouts to the boat “nothing good to be got by it.” Frederick William, who wears crown, military uniform, and jack-boots, conceals behind him, half thrust into his coat-pocket, a paper: ‘Danzic & Thorn’. Holland, a fat burgher, is smoking; he says “What a blessed Alliance”. In his right hand is a paper: ‘pyg–t O I hope all dis vill end in a Smoke.’ The fourth man, who stands on the extreme left, is a British citizen who scowls as he reads a newspaper inscribed ‘The Trade of the Baltic Lost – New Taxes Malt – Porter’. Across the sky stretches a large scroll inscribed ‘The Cause of the War’; from it is suspended a tiny medallion: ‘Ocsakow’.”–British Museum online catalogue.
791.04.00.01+
Acquired May 2017
In a large room French aristocrats crowd across a table from Pitt who is taking money while handing a pen to the man opposite who holds a crown in his left arm as he throws coins toward Pitt’s grasping hand. Above Pitt stands George III behind podium, gavel in one hand and another crown extended toward one of the many bidders shouting comments and prices. The King calls out, “This is a lot, gentlemen, of superior brilliancy to the last. This, this raises you above your fellows in a very high degree indeed. I pity your distresses from my soul, what, what, what was that you were saying about jewels, Madames, too high. You may ride over the necks of half the nation with this upon your coach. You may get in debt as fast as you please and never pay. Mind that gentlemen, never pay.” The Queen walks up a ladder behind the King to retrieve more crowns from the shelves behind the King’s podium, turning her head to say, “Pay some attention to that Lady’s jewels, my love.”
790.07.08.01+
Acquired May 2017
“A sequel to British Museum Satires no. 6438. George III, seated on a balloon, points downwards with his sceptre to an image of Pitt (right) as a naked child, on a column which is inscribed ‘Family Presumption’. The king looks down at North, Fox, and Burke, saying, “I command you O Shadrach Mesech & Abednego!” The three stand (left) in attitudes expressing intense self-righteousness; they say: “Know O King we will not worship ye Golden Image”; on each head rests a tongue of flame. They stand outside a dilapidated building on the extreme left inscribed ‘St Stephens’, shored up by a beam, whose base is at their feet, inscribed ‘Resolutions Unrescinded’. From its coping-stone flies an ensign flag inscribed ‘Firm S.P.Q.B.’ The king’s balloon is inscribed ‘Prerogative’; its lower axis emits a blast inscribed ‘Gracious Answer’. Behind the balloon and Pitt are clouds inscribed ‘Breath of Popularity’. Pitt stands sucking his finger (cf. British Museum Satires no. 6417); on his head is a sugar-loaf surmounted by a flag inscribed ‘Feby 28′, an emblem of the Grocers’ Company which had entertained him on that day, see British Museum Satires no. 6442. Kneeling figures do obeisance before the image of Pitt, those in the foreground representing the least reputable trades: a lamplighter (left), with his ladder and oil-can, kneels in profile to the right; a butcher prostrates himself; a chimney-sweep kneels with clasped hands; a ragged scavenger, his shovel and basket beside him, kneels in profile to the left, the basket stands on a paper inscribed ‘[Worshipfu]ll Company of Scavenger[s]’. In the foreground lie papers inscribed ‘Garret Address’ (an allusion to the mock elections of Garratt), ‘Address’, and ‘The worshipfull Company of Chimney Sweepers’. A crowd of kneeling figures (left) is worshipping the idol; they hold standards, three of which are inscribed ‘Bristol’, ‘Westminster’, and ‘London’, representing the addresses to the king which had been compared by Fox to those made to Charles II, see British Museum Satires no. 6438, &c.”–British Museum online catalogue.
784.03.11.05+
Acquired May 2017
“Pitt runs forward (left to right) to the waterside, a large sabre raised above his head, saying, “The Russian trade down the first”; he threatens a number of stranded ships with broken masts. The blade of his sabre is inscribed: ‘General War in Europe. Hartzberg Cutler Berlin’. In his left hand he holds up a paper: ‘Responsibility Unpd Debts £20,00000 Ditto 3000000 New Taxes . . . Taxes’. Above him is a scroll inscribed: ‘Under the Protection of the Commercial Treaty with France [see British Museum Satires no. 6995], or by the Armed Neutrality improved Trade of Russia carried by French bottoms’. On the right a man stands on a quay inscribed ‘Company of Russia Kay to be let’; he raises in both hands a headsman’s axe, inscribed ‘Hard Steel badly temper’d, to smite the masts of the ships below him’, saying, “Down with it [ ? or its] Poland its as well Vengeance”. Above his head, rays issuing from the upper right corner of the design, inscribed ‘Remote fate, no more wars M–rs [Ministers] ultimatum’, impinge on a semi-circle of cloud inscribed Confidence. On this stand five tiny gibbets, each with its pendent body. On the horizon is the open sea, on which are four French ships in full sail, the nearest flying a tricolour flag inscribed ‘la Nation la loi le Roi’. On the left, next Pitt, stands Thurlow, holding against his left shoulder the mace, which is labelled ‘Prerogative’ and ‘by G–d’ (cf. British Museum Satires no. 7320). In his right hand is a paper: ‘Law Authorities for rendering defensive treatys ofensive’. His Chancellor’s wig, over which is inscribed ‘Geographical Knowledge’, is divided into small sections, each inscribed with the name of a place: immediately surrounding his face are six portions each inscribed ‘Russia’; on his nose is ‘Poland’; above his forehead is ‘England’. Other places in juxtaposition are ‘Oczakow’, ‘Isle of Dogs’, ‘Botany Bay’, ‘Persia’, ‘Jordaine’, ‘Terras incognitas’, ‘Turin’, ‘Constantinople’, and ‘Antwerp’, ‘China’, ‘Swisserland’, ‘Africa’, ‘Nootka’, ‘Germany’, ‘Jerusalem’, ‘Paris’, ‘Pekin’, ‘Patagonia’, ‘France’. In the background on the extreme left is a building: ‘National Assembly’, with the cap of Liberty surmounting a tricolour flag inscribed ‘French liberty benefitted by the blunders from the English M–r’. From the door issues a label inscribed ‘oui oui une adresse de tanks a Mr P–t’. From the Assembly walk two kings, France and Spain; they say (pointing to Pitt): “How he plays our game” and “Bravo! bravo! bravo!””–British Museum online catalogue.
791.04.07.01+
Acquired May 2017