Olympic games, or, John Bull introducing his new ambassador

description below

“Napoleon (right) stands between two Russians; one (left) he strikes on the chin with his fist, saying, “There Sir take that, and tel your Master, I’ll thras every one who dares to speak to me I’ll thrash all the World D -me I’ll, I’ll I,’ll be King of the Universe.” The injured Russian stares, saying, “Why this is club Law; this is the Argument of force indeed the little Gentleman is Dêrangé.” Behind Napoleon (right) an officer in fur cloak and hussar’s cap watches with indignation, saying, “The Monarch I represent, will return this insult with becoming dignity.” On the left John Bull, jovial and grossly fat, and wearing top-boots, puts his arm across the shoulders of a pugilist, and points to Napoleon, saying, “There my Boy is an Ambassador who will treat with you in your own way, but I say be as gentle with him as you can.” The good-looking brawny pugilist, who is stripped to the waist, clenches his fists, saying, “what! is it that little Whipper snapper I am to set too with why I think the first round will settle his hash.” [An early use of this phrase which disproves Partridge, ‘Slang Dict., tracing it in England to 1825, and in U.S.A. to 1807, suggesting that the English may have learnt it in the war of 1812. It was clearly current in England by 1803] Bonaparte is small and youthful, caricatured chiefly by the disproportionate size of cocked hat and sabre.”–British Museum online catalogue.

 

  • Author: Cruikshank, Isaac, 1756?-1811?, printmaker.
  • Title: Olympic games, or, John Bull introducing his new ambassador to the Grand Consul [graphic] / Cruikshank del.
  • Publication: [London] : Pub. by S.W. Fores, N. 50 Piccadilly, London, June 16, 1803.

Catalog Record

803.06.16.02+

Acquired January 2021

The political warrior mowing down the Russian trade

“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.

  • TitleThe political warrior mowing down the Russian trade [graphic].
  • PublicationLondon : Pubd. by Wm. Holland, No. 50 Oxford St., April 7, 1791.

Catalog Record

791.04.07.01+

Acquired May 2017

Quite unbearable

CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE: Quite unbearable

A mustached Polish soldier dressed in green military uniform drops his unsheathed sabre and struggles under the weight of a massive grizzly bear (Russia) that straddles his back. Fallen on the floor are the soldier’s hat and a staff of liberty inscribed ‘Poland & Liberty’. A satirical treatment of the Polish-Russian War, 1830-1831 or the ‘November Uprising’.

  • Printmaker: Grant, C. J. (Charles Jameson), fl. 1830-1852.
  • Title: Quite unbearable / C.J. Grant.
  • Published:[London] : Pub. by S. Gans, Southampton St., Strand, Fed [sic], 1831.

Catalog Record & Digital Collection

Acquired January 2012