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'Fighting for the Dunghill, or, Jack Tar Setting Buonaparte. (caricature)'
PAD4792
Object connections:
| Collection | Prints, drawings and watercolours, Fine art, Caricatures |
|---|---|
| Exhibitions | Broadsides! Caricature and the Navy 1775–1815 |
| User collections | Sailors by cdewey@csum.edu Caricatures by franzgmail |
| Gallery location | Not on display |
| People | Depiction: Bonaparte, Napoleon |
| Events | Napoleonic Wars: Duckworth's passage of the Dardanelles, 1807 |
Object details:
| Object ID | PAD4792 |
|---|---|
| Description | This is the earliest of Gillray’s portrayals of Bonaparte as the symbolic personification of France. Here he is caricatured in a manner deriving from earlier 18th-century lampoons against the French, particularly by Hogarth, in being shown semi-naked and emaciated. Gillray also plays upon Bonaparte’s Corsican roots, notably in the Italian spelling of his name in the title. Seated atop a globe, he is being knocked down and has his nose bloodied by a stout British tar with the profile features of George III. It is a simple but effective piece of propaganda, casting France with the dark, benighted side of the globe, and Britain with the bringing of light. At the same time, the fusion of the King with Jack Tar is a brilliant means of suggesting a national unity between the upper and lower orders that was, at this time, far from being the case. |
| Date made | Published 20 November 1798 |
| Artist/Maker | Gillray, James Miller, John Sebastian |
|---|---|
| Credit | National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London. Caird Fund. |
| Materials | hand-coloured aquatint |
| Measurements | Primary support: 231 mm x 323 mm; Mount: 406 mm x 560 mm |
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