Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

The state windmill

The state windmill

[London] : Published 10 June 1783 by J. Wallis No. 16 Ludgate Street, [1783]
etching
sheet: 267 x 215 mm
Peel 3239
Notes
Caption title and imprint from impression described in the British Museum online catalog.
Library's copy trimmed and cropped with loss of title and imprint and loss to image.
Provenance

Formerly owned by Sir Robert Peel Caricatures and cartoons.

Summary

Perched atop the uppermost windmill sail are Charles Fox and Lord North, the latter prevented from falling down by Fox's helping hand. Holding on to their legs in front of the sail hangs Burke. To the left, Lord Thurlow, in judge's robes, is about to loose his grip on the descending sail and thus follow Lord Shelburne who is about to hit the ground with his head. The rising sail on the right is occupied by several pro-coalition politicians. Others are trying to climb the sail currently at the ground level. Dundas, Sheridan and Pitt inspect the condition of the beams supporting the windmill. Pitt concludes that it "is rotten & half the corn is devoured by lurking vermin."

Associated names
Peel, Robert, 1788-1850, former owner.
Classification
Department