A frightened and dishevelled woman supported by two robed men, while a harlequin prepares to defend her against an approaching army ; representing Britannia and British politicians' responses to increased military activity by France. Coloured etching by J. Gillray after J. Sneyd, 1803.

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Description

Baron Hawkesbury (subsequently first Earl of Liverpool) and Addington (subsequently Viscount Sidmouth) support the fainting Britannia: Addington, as an apothecary, holds smelling salts ("Gunpowder") to her nose. Sheridan, as a quack doctor's assistant ("Sherry Andrew", play on "Merry Andrew"), holds a shield in the form of the head of the Medusa against Napoleon and a French invasion force crossing the English Channel

Physical description

1 print : etching, with watercolour ; platemark 26.1 x 36.3 cm

Work type

Lettering

Physical aid, - or - Britannia recover'd from a trance; - also, the patriotic courage of Sherry Andrew, & a peep thro' the fog.

Contributors

Subjects

Genres

Production

Places

  • [London] (27 St. James's Street)

Agents

  • H. Humphrey

Dates

  • 14 March 1803

Language

View Wellcome Library catalogue record

Using this Image

License information

You can use this work for any purpose, including commercial uses, without restriction under copyright law. You should also provide attribution to the original work, source and licence.

Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) terms and conditions https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Credit

A frightened and dishevelled woman supported by two robed men, while a harlequin prepares to defend her against an approaching army ; representing Britannia and British politicians' responses to increased military activity by France. Coloured etching by J. Gillray after J. Sneyd, 1803.. Credit: Wellcome Collection. CC BY

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Credit: Wellcome Collection

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