print;
satirical print
- Museum number
- 1868,0808.9280
- Title
- Object: John Bull and the locusts!!!
- Description
-
John Bull, a farmer, stands in a cornfield, using his bludgeon against 'locusts' who carry off his corn. These are men on a much smaller scale than himself, with insect's wings of gnat or dragonfly type. His man is the King, wearing a smock, who stands (left) waist-deep in the corn, holding a dandified officer on the prongs of his pitchfork. J. B.: 'Come Bill curse it do'nt be wasting your time over that one, because—it's more gaudy than the rest of em. I want the whole of the Warmint exterminated D—n. em—no wonder I'm on the brink of ruin, when they Strip my Corn-Field's like this—and leave me nothing but the Gleanings'. The two biggest locusts are Scarlett (left) and Wellington (right) who fly off to left and right, laden with sheaves. The Duke wears uniform with cocked hat and boots; he looks out of the corner of his eye at J. B. Below him, Lyndhurst, with outstretched arms and greedy fingers, flies downwards. Peel (left) stands grasping an armful of uncut corn taller than himself. Others standing in the corn to collect bundles are two parsons and a policeman (right). A bearded Jew lying on the ground in the corn peers out at John's back. John has put one foot on a gaudily dressed hussar officer, who lies prone. Smaller background figures fly off laden, or fly down for plunder. 1830
Hand-coloured etching
- Production date
- 1830
- Dimensions
-
Height: 262 millimetres
-
Width: 361 millimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- (Description and comment from M. Dorothy George, 'Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum', XI, 1954)
An illustration of the concerted popular campaign against abuses of all kinds in the summer of 1830. Place writes: "Scarcely any abuse or any supposed abuse in the administration of public affairs escaped notice. . . . The pension lists were dissected . . . ably conducted Newspapers carried their enquiries into the Army—the Navy—the Diplomatic the Colonial and the Civil Service, and made such extraordinary expositions of abuses as tended greatly to keep up the excitement, and prompt the demand for reform of parliament." Add. MS. 27789, fo. 147. For William IV and army uniforms see No. 16165, &c. The expense of the New Police (see No. 15768) was much complained of. Cf. Nos. 16189, 16318, 16405, 16408, 16409.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1868
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1868,0808.9280
