print;
satirical print
- Museum number
- 1868,0808.4664
- Title
- Object: Patriotic soup for poor old England
- Description
-
A large pot stands over a fire on the ground, a number of men stand round it, some throwing ingredients for the soup into it. A man (right) holds a torch to the bottom of the pot saying "I'll sett the whole in a blaze"; another (left) feeds the fire with folded documents inscribed ". . . esq. Bonds", saying "A new way to pay old Debts". His squint and Mephistophelian wig indicate Wilkes. Behind him an obese man looks on with his arms folded and his breeches' pockets hanging out empty; he says, "I cannot do that but I'll vote to burn the Owners". He is probably Charles Fox. A sailor wearing striped trousers hurries away from the pot, into which he is excreting, saying "Heavens a Lee Shore I'd rather face". He is evidently intended for Keppel, known as Admiral Lee Shore (see BMSat 5992, &c.) after the action off Ushant of 27 July 1778 (cf. BMSat 5626, &c), who after his court martial (see BMSat 5536) had protested against serving under Sandwich as First Lord and had been ordered to strike his flag. Next him a man holding a large basket puts a potato into the pot, saying, "G------d fire me now if I've a Potatoe left". He may be Burke (or Barré). Next sits Louis XVI facing the pot; he wears a crown and a coat covered with fleur-de-lys; with one hand he points to the sailor, with the other he holds up a frog, saying, "Dis an dat make ver good Soup". On his left stands a man with turnips (?) under his arm saying, "A very good strengthener - but will it cure. . . ". The next man holds a cow's heel over the pot saying "by Jasus nothing makes better Mutton Broth than a good Cow heel". He is perhaps Barré (or Burke). The Duke of Richmond with a ribbon and star comes up with a coal-scuttle saying "and I'll find Coals". He was the grantee of a duty on coals (granted by Charles II to his grandfather, son of the Duchess of Portsmouth). This was the notorious 'Richmond Shilling' denounced in Paine's 'Rights of Man'. A woman runs forward from the right, her sleeves turned up and wearing an apron and ragged petticoat; she says, "Stop Thief the son of a W------e has stole my Coals". On the extreme left is a grotesque monster or devil, with horns and a barbed tail, at his feet, in profile to the left kneels a bishop, his hands raised in prayer, saying, "We are gathered together in thy name". On the extreme right a spectator looks from a doorway, pointing at the scene and saying "Sing tantararara Rogues all Rogues all". 16 March 1780
Etching
- Production date
- 1780
- Dimensions
-
Height: 249 millimetres
-
Width: 354 millimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- (Description and comment from M.Dorothy George, 'Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum', V, 1935)
Probably an attack on the County Associations and Petitions, see BMSat 5638, &c, and the adoption of Fox, 2 Feb. 1780, as candidate for Westminster, to counteract which the Court party is said to have distributed bills on the dearness of coals, due to the 'Richmond Shilling'. Fitzmaurice, 'Shelburne', 1912, ii. 47. Richmond was the advocate of manhood suffrage and annual parliaments, see 'Parl. Hist.' xxi. 686 ff. One of the few satires on the Opposition, see BMSat 5334, &c.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1868
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1868,0808.4664
