A fearful woman (Britannia) is encouraged by three British politicians to resist the invading fleet of France. Coloured etching by J. Gillray after J. Sneyd, 1803.
- Sneyd, John.
- Date
- 14 March 1803
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About this picture
Description
The fainting Britannia is fortified by "doctors and ministers" represented by Charles Jenkinson (Baron Hawkesbury, subsequently Earl of Liverpool) and Henry Addington (subsequently Viscount Sidmouth): Jenkinson wears a fur-lined robe, while Addington, as a doctor in the robes of the Royal College of Physicians, holds smelling salts ("Gunpowder") to her nose. Sheridan, as a quack doctor's assistant ("Sherry Andrew", play on "Merry Andrew"), holds a club and a shield in the form of the head of the Medusa against Napoleon and a French invasion force crossing the English Channel. The characters speak as if playing roles in a Shakespearian tragedy
Contributors
Publication/Creation
[London] (27 St. James's Street) : H. Humphrey, 14 March 1803.
Physical description
1 print : etching, with watercolour ; platemark 26.1 x 36.3 cm
Lettering
Physical aid, - or - Britannia recover'd from a trance; - also, the patriotic courage of Sherry Andrew, & a peep thro' the fog.
Type/Technique
Language
- English
Subjects
- Syncope (Pathology)
- Physicians.
- Medusa (Greek mythology)
- Costume |History –19th century.
- Great Britain |Foreign relations –France.
- Sheridan, Richard Brinsley, 1751-1816.
- Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806.
- Jenkinson, Charles, 1727-1808.
- Sidmouth, Henry Addington, Viscount, 1757-1844.
- Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821.
- Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Hamlet.
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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 fearful woman (Britannia) is encouraged by three British politicians to resist the invading fleet of France. Coloured etching by J. Gillray after J. Sneyd, 1803. Credit: Wellcome Collection. CC BY
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