- Museum number
- 1935,0522.12.183
- Title
- Object: Grand entrance to bamboozl'em.
- Description
-
The Queen and Alderman Wood head a procession through the City, all riding asses (cf. No. 13918, &c.). They advance towards a group of Radical Reformers with placards who wave their hats. Notes below the design divided by vertical lines indicate the characters; these are centred by a description of the Queen, enclosed in an oval: 'Her most Gracious M.....y Columbine B—i, alias Mother Red Cap 2nd [cf. No. 13975], Queen of all the Radicals, Whigs, Hoaxers &c B......i in all her looks and Brandy in her eye [see No. 14175].' Wood is dressed as a jester in party-coloured clothes, red and yellow, here indicating the royal liveries used by the Queen; he takes the Queen's right hand; his right hand is on his breast, and he looks with eager anticipation at the Reformers. Behind him is the profile of Lady Ann Hamilton, who plays a fiddle; she wears a much-feathered (military) Scots cap. They are: 'Absolute Wisdom [see No. 13899] alias Mathew Jackall Master of the Ceremonies—A rare specimen of disinterestedness—a keen eye for the Loaves & Fishes', and 'Lady Ann Bagpipe principal Scotch Fiddler [cf. No. 14110, &c.] to her M.....y with an accompaniment of All round the Rad pole how we Flock.' The Queen wears a red cap with the décolletée over-dress with frilled trousers of No. 14103, a large miniature of Bergami (see No. 13858) hanging from her waist. She holds the tail of the ass which she bestrides with ungartered stocking, her shoe having fallen to the ground; on her saddle-cloth: 'B B Knight of St Columbine' [see No. 14120]. A fat décolletée woman, also in a red cap, rides just behind her; she is Countess Oldi, Bergami's sister (who was with the Queen in London), described as 'Countess Patois Bourgois The Elegant & Accomplished Sister of Bart.....o The Fancy-Man.' On the Queen's left rides a thin young man, Wood's son, in quasi-dandy dress with red and yellow jacket, holding a banner inscribed 'All Majesty & Grace'; he registers alarm at a small barking dog which causes his ass to stop and kick. He is 'The Dandy Standard Bearer alias Young Absolute'. Just behind a youth, Willy Austin, rides, holding two children before him: 'Billy By-Blow of Black-heath [see No. 12027] in charge of the Nursery.' Next him is a man wearing a braided coat or tunic and holding up a flag inscribed 'Innocence'. He is not described, and is perhaps Keppel Craven. Close behind him is a turbaned African (cf. No. 13929), in red and yellow. They are followed by two naval officers, one in civilian dress and wearing a Maltese cross. They hold a banner between them: 'Rights and Privileges.' They are 'Lieutt Humm'en [Hownam] 1st Champion & Knight of St Columbine' and 'Lieutt Flim Flam [Flinn] 2nd Champion & Knight of the Smelling Bottle'. The last ass in the procession is ridden by a naked Bacchus, a wine-bottle in each hand, and a half-draped Woman who puts an arm round his neck. They are: 'Two Proteges and Bosom Friends of her M.....y'. The procession continues, receding in perspective to the extreme right, as a dense crowd with bludgeons, banners, and staves supporting caps of Liberty. The banners are 'Anarchy', 'Riot' (both tricolour), 'Disaffection', 'Immorality', 'Indecency'. Description: 'A long Train of concomitant Blessings to add to the Peace, Comfort, Relief, and Happiness of that first rate Martyr Broad-shouldered and patient Bull.'
The radicals face the procession in the foreground (left) and are more realistically drawn than the other figures. On the extreme left is Hunt, smartly dressed, but with a chain dangling from one wrist. He is 'The Hero of Spa and Peters Fields with a day rule from Ilchester'. Next him is Wilson: 'Sir Robert Lavalette [see No. 12706, &c.] of Southwark KMT [sic] & MP'. Beside him is Hobhouse: 'Jack Cam Westminster's Darling' [see No. 13501]. In front of Wilson is Sir Charles Wolseley, wearing a striped straight-jacket over fashionable dress, his arms (compulsorily) folded. He is 'The Legislatorial Attorney for Brummigum [see No. 13251] with a day rule from St Lukes' [a lunatic asylum]. Behind him is Cobbett: 'William Tompaine [see No. 13525] Cobt Weathercock' [see No. 14032, &c.]. In front of him is Burdett (now with frontal baldness in place of the former prominent lock of hair), standing between Waddington, a ragged, dwarfish fellow holding up a placard inscribed 'Long Live Mother Red Cap', and Harrison, a man with chained wrists holding up a cap of Liberty on a staff. These three are: 'Sir Frank Demagogue Westminster's Jewel'; 'Little Wadd' [see No. 14261]; 'Parson Har . . s . n Founder of the Sect of Radical Methodists, with a day rule from Durance Vile' [see No. 13254]. The last also supports a tall pike which dominates the group, its head inscribed 'Rallying Point'; to this are tied a cap of Liberty and two banners: 'Revolution' (red) and 'Radical Reform' (blue); the shaft transfixes a wig (emblem of the Whigs). Hunt, Wilson, Cobbett, and Burdett wave white top-hats (emblem of Hunt and the radicals) with red favours; Wilson and Waddington wear similar hats. All wear large red disks on the left breast. From the crowd standing behind them emerge placards: [1] a Harlequin pattern inscribed 'Q Columbine for ever' [see No. 14120]; [2] a wig, inscription: 'Q a handle to the Wig'; [3] 'Automaton for ever' [see No. 14120]; [4] 'Poll Acre [polacca, see No. 13818] for Ever'. All the banners of both contingents are topped with caps of Liberty, and other caps of Liberty are supported on staves.
On the cobbles in the foreground a woman and a sailor sit drinking together, she holds out her arm towards the Queen. On the right ragged men run forward, cheering the Queen. The farther side of the route is lined with butchers shouting and making rough music with marrow-bones and cleavers, as at Westminster elections. Behind these a dense crowd of spectators is indicated. Behind are the houses and (shuttered) shops of 'Bridge Street'; cheering spectators lean from all the windows and watch from the roofs. Placards on two houses are: 'Adam and Eve', two nude figures, cf. No. 14120, and 'Gill Tea Figs, &c.' This block is divided from the more distant houses by 'Cannon Row'. From the roofs of the latter buildings cannon are firing at three winged figures in the air; all three fall, wounded; they are 'Decency', 'Modesty', and 'Delicacy'. In the distance (right) are dark clouds, an owl, and a violent flash of lightning.
February 1821
Hand-coloured etching
- Production date
- 1821
- Dimensions
-
Height: 278 millimetres (trimmed)
-
Width: 410 millimetres (trimmed)
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- (Description and comment from M. Dorothy George, 'Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum', X, 1952)
One of a series of prints stressing the grossest of the accusations against the Queen. There is a catch-phrase (old in 1874) 'Red and yellow, Tom Fool's colours'. Partridge, 'Slang Dict.' Wood's son (1796-1866, LL.B. Trin. Coll. Camb. 1821, ordained c. 1819) was chaplain and private secretary to the Queen. Hownam and Flinn did their utmost to defend the Queen in their evidence; the latter was thought by Creevey (10 Oct.) to 'have perjured himself three or four times over'. He fainted while giving evidence. The Radicals are accused of inciting to riot and revolution and of using the Queen for political purposes. Hunt was undergoing two years' imprisonment at Ilchester (see No. 14187) for conspiring to provoke a riot (at St. Peter's Fields, see No. 13258, &c.). Wolseley was tried with Joseph Harrison for inciting to tumult and insurrection at Stockport on 28 July 1819; both were sentenced (13 May 1820) to 18 months' imprisonment. 'Ann. Reg.', 1820, Chron., pp. 148, 908-20. Waddington, see No. 14261, &c., was tried and acquitted for a seditious libel at the London Sessions, 21 Sept. 1820: he published a placard calling on Englishmen to 'love the brave soldiers. . . . The soldiers to a man love your injured Queen; they are determined to support her rights . . [and will] support the rights and liberties of their country. Remember Spain and Naples! and love and respect the soldiers.' 'Examiner', 1820, p. 623. In 1822 he was sentenced for publishing a blasphemous libel. See 'State Trials', N.S. i. 1339 ff. The plate is depicted in No. 14206.
De Vinck, No. 10421.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1935
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1935,0522.12.183
