Rowlandson (Thomas)

, William Humphrey, 1784.
a political satire, first published in March 1784, then re-issued in William Humphrey’s ‘The History of the Westminster Election’, which was published in the October, lampooning events surrounding the election which had taken place in the May. John Robinson had been the long-serving Secretary of the Treasury under Lord North, renowned for his powers of persuading members of the opposition to their side, earning them the name of ‘Robinson’s Rats’. But he refused to support the Fox-North coalition and so retired on a large pension. He is depicted here in a ramshackle room infested with rats, most of which have human faces. He is on his hands and knees, tempting one of the rats with a pension, while others look on with interest. On his back is a cage baited with a miniature coronet, and money bags hang from his belt. On the wall is a list alluding to the names of MPs published in The Morning Post in February 1784.

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..
230 by 345mm (9 by 13½ inches).