James Aitken
Frogs chusing a king
Published
[London] : Pub. by J. Aitken, the corner Bare Street, Leicester Square, Jan. 14, 1789.
etching
image: 309 x 227 mm; plate mark: 351 x 253 mm; sheet: 362 x 260 mm
Peel 3365
Notes
Title etched below image.
Cartoon inspired by the opposition's support of the regency of the Prince of Wales.
Not in the Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum. Division I, political and personal satires.
Cartoon inspired by the opposition's support of the regency of the Prince of Wales.
Not in the Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum. Division I, political and personal satires.
Provenance
Formerly owned by Sir Robert Peel.
Summary
A group of eight frogs, some endowed with the faces of members of the opposition, retreat in a panic into the water as the figures of Britannia and Justice throw down a rope, halberd, and block from the clouds above; behind them, a lion lies beside the royal crown and scepter, and the Prince of Wales lies upon a hill in the background at left, irradiated as the "rising son"; one of the frogs is recognizable as Fox, another as Burke, and a third as North(?), with his Ribbon of the Garter.
Associated names
Aitken, James, active 1788-1802, publisher.
Peel, Robert, 1788-1850, former owner.
Peel, Robert, 1788-1850, former owner.
Classification
Department
Catalog link