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'Doublûres of characters; - or - striking resemblances in phisiognomy'

36 of 65 portraits of Edward Smith Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby

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© National Portrait Gallery, London

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'Doublûres of characters; - or - striking resemblances in phisiognomy'

by James Gillray, published by John Wright
hand-coloured aquatint and soft-ground etching, published 1 November 1798
10 3/8 in. x 14 1/4 in. (262 mm x 362 mm) plate size; 10 5/8 in. x 14 5/8 in. (270 mm x 370 mm) paper size
Purchased, 1947
Reference Collection
NPG D12663

Artistsback to top

  • James Gillray (1756-1815), Caricaturist. Artist or producer associated with 887 portraits, Sitter in 7 portraits.
  • John Wright (active 1798), Publisher. Artist or producer associated with 9 portraits.

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This portraitback to top

No political figure or public event was safe from the biting wit of James Gillray, the late eighteenth century's leading caricaturist. In 1798, he published Doublûres of Characters; -- or - striking Resemblances in Physiognomy. This explicit print played on the recent success of Lavater's Essay. By manipulating the principle that heart and face were essentially connected, Gillray ironically unveiled the 'true' faces of the opposition party by pairing their public face with its corrupted countertype. So, for example, we see 'The Patron of Liberty' turned into 'The Arch-Fiend' or a 'Character of High Birth' as 'Silenus debauching'.

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Current affairs

To meet war costs, William Pitt introduces a Finance Bill which levies income tax for the first time.

Art and science

William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge publish Lyrical Ballads; a key publication for the romantic movement in poetry. Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner opens the volume.
Publisher and printseller Rudolph Ackermann establishes his popular 'Repository of the Arts' shop, gallery, library and social centre on the Strand.

International

Uprising of the United Irishmen: a republican rebellion which attempted to achieve Ireland's total independence by force with the aid of a French invasion. It was only narrowly defeated.
Battle of the Nile. Napoleon's visionary Egyptian campaign offers British first major victory as Nelson destroys the French fleet.

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