Napoleon sits at a table, slouched back in his chair with a sick look on his face, a menu in his left hand and a fork in his right. A lobseter, two fishes, a chicken and a head of a lamb all from his unbuttoned waistcoat
820.00.00.117+
Acquired November 2024
Caricature of the British Prime Minister presenting crowns to King George IV in the Brighton Pavilion, surrounded by Chinese objects and figures. The King is seen from behind, brandishing a scepter and sovereign’s orb
820.03.30.07+
Acquired July 2024
Two women shown full-length in cloaks and bonnets, one with an umbrella; the one in the foreground is short and stout, and winks at the viewer. The other is tall and thin and is turning to look at her companion
820.00.00.116+
Acquired November 2024
“Satire [on] singers in country churches. Six men sing enthusiastically from one hymn book, while another, on the left, wearing a wig, plays a wind instrument; a young man and young woman look down from a gallery. On the wall behind hangs an escutcheon with three owls.”–British Museum online catalogue
773.03.20.04+
Acquired October 2024
An obese man stands on one end of a scale as a thinner man loads more and more 50 lb weights to the other side to determine his weight
821.00.00.24+
Acquired November 2024
On the left, poor emaciated laborers are chained to the ground while above them dangle bread, meat and beer just out of their reach. Behind them a building inscribed ‘Poor Law Union’. The ground is inscribed ‘Land of the free’. A crowd of people enter a tunnel that above has a sign that reads, ‘County Gaol.’ In contrast, on the right fat Members of Parliament sit and listen to a speech against Poor Law Reform made by possibly Melborne (William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne) who has a paper inscribed with ‘£70 000 Per Annum’.
841.00.00.37+
Acquired October 2024
Three very bored-looking Englishmen sit around a table drinking wine, none looking at each other. The obese man in the middle is yawning with an outstretched arm
818.00.00.64
Acquired November 2024
King George IV and the Marchioness of Conyngham grieve over the body of a dead giraffe, which had been sent to them by Mehmet Ali, Pasha of Egypt. There is a black mourning border around the image. Left, two Nubians lament. Right, the Lord Chancellor Lord Eldon plays a dirge on the bagpipes (the King called him “Old Bags” because of the purse containing the Privy Seal carried by the Lord Chancellor), while next to him are a pillbox and a prescription signed “Abe[rne]thy”, representing unsuccessful medicine for the giraffe.
829.08.11.01+
Acquired July 2024
A large woman, her dress thrown up revealing her legs and part of her bottom, crashes to the floor, having broken her commode The contents of the commode spills out much to the anger of a lap dog and the terror of a cat who flees by climbing a curtain. To the left, another older woman, probably the maid, with a look of alarm, rushes towards the falling woman
802.09.06.01
Acquired July 2024
An English couple walk arm in arm beside their son, walking backwards, and a daughter walk towards the viewer, a dog at her side
814.00.00.46
Acquired November 2024