The Last of the Boroughbridges. 11" x 13" Hand-Colored Lithograph
Reform and The Rotten Boroughs Doyle, John [1797-1868]. The Last of the Boroughbridges. [London]: Published by Thomas McLean, March 7, 1831. 11" x 13" (28 x 33 cm) hand-colored lithograph. Some toning to margins, a few miniscule spots to image, colors vivid. $350. * John Doyle (writing under the monogram "H.B.") transformed English political caricature. He steered the medium away from the grotesque, scatological, and aggressive style of James Gillray and Thomas Rowlandson toward a more genteel, witty, and understated realism-a style that laid the groundwork for Punch and Vanity Fair. His highly popular Political Sketches, published by Thomas McLean between 1829 and 1851, served as a vital, running commentary on Westminster politics. This print takes aim at the fiery debate surrounding the Great Reform Act. The primary target of the bill was the elimination of "rotten" or "pocket" boroughs-depopulated parliamentary constituencies controlled by wealthy patrons to secure automatic seats in the House of Commons. Depicted as an invalid in an armchair is the ultra-Tory MP Sir Charles Wetherell, a notoriously vehement opponent of reform who represented the doomed rotten borough of Boroughbridge. Approaching his bedside to mourn the impending loss of political power are two fellow anti-reform stalwarts: the elderly Earl of Eldon and the Duke of Cumberland (the deeply unpopular brother of King William IV), who weeps into a handkerchief. BM Satires 16602.
Price: $350.00
Book number 51757