'The giant factotem amusing himself'

1 portrait of Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey

Identify sitters

© National Portrait Gallery, London

 Like voting
is closed

Thanks for Liking

Please Like other favourites!
If they inspire you please support our work.

Buy a print Buy a greetings card Make a donation Close

'The giant factotem amusing himself'

by James Gillray, published by Hannah Humphrey
hand-coloured etching, published 21 January 1797
14 3/8 in. x 10 3/8 in. (366 mm x 264 mm) paper size
Purchased, 1947
Reference Collection
NPG D12593

Artistsback to top

  • James Gillray (1756-1815), Caricaturist. Artist or producer associated with 887 portraits, Sitter in 7 portraits.
  • Hannah Humphrey (circa 1745-1818), Publisher and printseller. Artist or producer associated with 720 portraits, Sitter in 1 portrait.

Sittersback to top

This portraitback to top

Pitt is shown dominating the House of Commons. He turns to his followers, his right foot supported by Wilberforce and Dundas; his left foot curshes the leaders of the Opposition, Erskine, Sheridan and Fox. The print can be related to the debate of 30 December 1796 when Pitt moved the continuence of the war. Hand-coloured prints such as this were relatively expensive and would have been bought for enjoyment at home, either hung on the wall or kept in portfolios. However, they would have been seen more widely when on show in the windows of the many print shops from which they were sold.

Placesback to top

Linked displays and exhibitionsback to top

Events of 1797back to top

Current affairs

The Anti-Jacobin periodical makes its debut followed by The Anti-Jacobin Review the year after. Edited by William Gifford, it acted as a Tory mouthpiece against the 'New Morality' associated with republicanism.
Bank crisis results in the temporary suspension of payments by the Bank of England leading to a nationwide currency shortage.

Art and science

Robert Southey, later Poet Laureate, publishes his collected Poems, exploring contemporary interest in mythology and non-European cultures.
Ann Radcliffe publishes her popular gothic novel The Italian. One of the most imaginative novelists of the period, she helped introduce readers to the romantic sense of the supernatural.

International

Battle of Cape St Vincent. Admiral John Jervis leads the fleet which defeat the Spanish.
Failure of a small French invasion in Pembrokeshire.
Naval mutinies at Spithead and Nore.
Attack on the Canary Islands in which Rear-Admiral Nelson loses an arm.

Comments back to top

We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.

If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.