Rowlandson (Thomas)

, William Humphrey, 1784.
one of relatively few anti-Pitt satires, first published in March 1784, then re-issued in William Humphrey’s ‘The History of the Westminster Election’, in the following October, alluding to the shift in constitutional power following the defeat of the India Bill. It depicts George III dressed as the Elizabethan stage character, the necromancer Friar Bacon, in a loose hooded gown revealing his star and ribbon, holding a long wand in each hand, conjuring up three visions in large circles from the brazen head on a pedestal in the centre of the scene, each representing the balance of power between the crown, the Lords and the Commons at different times. A group led by Fox, North and Burke look into the chamber from a door on our left, while figures from the New Ministry and led down the ‘Back Stairs’ by a demon on the right.

The Westminster Election proved a huge boost to Rowlandson’s burgeoning career as a caricaturist, the political upheaval providing ample opportunities for him to lampoon both Fox and Pitt, which he did with relish, happily responding to demand from both sides..
245 by 350mm (9¾ by 13¾ inches).