| Method | Etching with original hand colouring |
| Artist | James Gillray |
| Published | Pubd May 27th 1789. by J. Aitken Castle Street Leicester Field |
| Dimensions | Image 225 x 340 mm, Plate 250 x 352 mm, Sheet 260 x 394 mm |
| Notes |
A satire, printed and published just one day after the event depicted, a duel between 'A Prince', Frederick Augustus, Duke of York and 'A Poltron' (A Coward) Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, on Wimbledon Common on 26 May 1789. The Duke of York stands to the left of the image with pistol aloft, shooting into the air, with his hat on the ground behind him. Standing opposite him is Charles Lennox holding pistols in both hands, exclaiming "I hope your H--gh--ss is satisfied now that I am a Man of Honor, by my firing thro' your hair? & that you will retract the opinion of my being a Coward". The Duke of York retorts: "Satisfied? yes I am satisfied! that your whole race are a set of dastards! - & you may fire at me till the day of Judgment, e'er I will retract my opinion - or honor a Coward, by putting him out of the World!" The dueller's seconds stand by their sides. 'Lord Raw--n', Francis Rawdon Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings, stands in profile on the left with a pair pistols in hand, stating: "Gunpowder is disgrae'd when used upon such reptiles! make them eat their own words, till they are choak'd, thats the way to quiet Charles's-bastard-brood". A startled and frightened 'Lord Wine--l--a', George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchelsea, stands to the right of the image clutching an armful of pistols and a blunderbuss, saying: "Would that I had not meddl'd in the business, or, that I could get over to the other side." One of a trio of Gillray caricatures commenting on a drawn out quarrel between the Duke of York and Lt Col. Lennox. On 19 May an account of the quarrel was published in the 'London Chronicle' and Sir G. Elliot's, 'Life and Letters' includes a brief account of the situation stating in his entry for Saturday, May 30, 1789, "You will see so much in the papers about the Duke of York's duel that I believe I must attempt a short account of that matter, although I am not very particularly informed about it. Mr. Lenox had been amusing himself all this winter with abusing and insulting the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York in the most scurrilous and blackguard way, both behind their backs and sometimes to their faces…Lenox, you know, was graciously forced into the Duke of York's regiment, against the rules, or at least common practice, of the army, over all the officers' heads, and without so much as an intimation to the Duke, who was the colonel". The print reflects the unpopularity of the Duke of Richmond and Tim Clayton suggests that the three Gillray/ Aitken prints of this subject (23, 27 and 29 May) are so well-informed and supportive of York that they may have been commissioned by the Duke or a supporter of his. Ref: T. Clayton, 'James Gillray, a revolution in satire', New Haven and London, 2022, p. 103 James Gillray (c.1756-1815) was a British caricaturist and printmaker famous for his etched political and social satires. Born in Chelsea, Gillray studied letter-engraving, and was later admitted to the Royal Academy where he was influenced by the work of Hogarth. His caricature L'Assemblée Nationale (1804) gained huge notoriety when the Prince of Wales paid a large sum of money to have it suppressed and its plate destroyed. Gillray lived with his publisher and print-seller Miss (often called Mrs) Humphrey during the entire period of his fame. Twopenny Whist, a depiction of four individuals playing cards, is widely believed to feature Miss Humphrey as an ageing lady with eyeglasses and a bonnet. One of Gillray's later prints, Very Slippy-Weather, shows Miss Humphrey's shop in St. James's Street in the background. In the shop window a number of Gillray's previously published prints, such as Tiddy-Doll the Great French Gingerbread Maker [...] a satire on Napoleon's king-making proclivities, are shown in the shop window. His last work Interior of a Barber's Shop in Assize Time, from a design by Bunbury, was published in 1811. While he was engaged on it he became mad, although he had occasional intervals of sanity. Gillray died on 1 June 1815, and was buried in St James's churchyard, Piccadilly. BM Satires 7533 Condition: Nice original hand colouring. Trimmed within plate at base. Light inking to bottom of title. Light dirt build-up and short repaired tears to margins. Light printers crease to right hand side of image. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £550.00 |
| Stock ID | 52976 |