A Descriptive Catalogue of the Great Historical Picture, Painted by...
"The Great Historical Picture" [Trial]. [Caroline of Brunswick [1768-1821], Defendant]. [Hayter, Sir George (1792-1871), Artist]. A Descriptive Catalogue of the Great Historical Picture, Painted by Mr. George Hayter, Member of the Academy of Sr. Luke, &c. &c. &c., Representing the Trial of Her Late Majesty Queen Caroline of England, With a Faithful Interior View of the House of Lords, And One Hundred and Eighty-Nine Portraits; Amongst Which are Included Those Princes of the Royal Family, With Most of the Peers and Distinguished Personages Who Were in the House on that Memorable Occasion and Who did the Artist the Honor to Sit: Containing in the Whole Upwards of Three Hundred Figures: Now Exhibiting at Mr. Cauty's Great Rooms, No. 80-1/2 Pall Mall. London: Printed by W. Hersee, 1823. vii, [i], 9-16 pp. Folding title page. 5 etched folding plates. Octavo (8-1/4" x 5-1/4"). Stab-stitched pamphlet in recent plain wrappers. Light toning, slightly heavier in places,a few minor creases and tears to plates. $300. * Only edition. Hayter's painting depicted one of the most sensational trials in English history: the repudiation of Queen Caroline by King George IV. After she refused to grant a divorce and renounce her title of Queen Consort, the Earl of Liverpool introduced The Pains and Penalties Bill in Parliament in order to compel the king's demands through legislation. (The bill alleged that Caroline had an affair with a commoner, Bartolomeo Bergami, while in Italy.) The bill was approved by the House of Lords, but it was not submitted to the House of Commons, where it would have been defeated. Despite the King's best attempts, Caroline was always a popular favorite. Indeed, her popularity increased during the trial. Although she prevailed in the court of popular opinion, she fell ill and died shortly after the coronation of George IV. She was certain that she was poisoned by one of the King's agents. OCLC locates 1 copy in a law library (Harvard). Another copy located at Yale Law School. British Museum Catalogue (Compact Edition) 11:987.
Price: $300.00
Book number 71243