'The Dutch divisions'
4 of 6 portraits of Frederick William I, King of Prussia
'The Dutch divisions'
by James Gillray, published by Samuel William Fores
hand-coloured etching, published 23 June 1787
5 7/8 in. x 8 3/4 in. (149 mm x 223 mm) plate size; 6 1/4 in. x 9 3/8 in. (160 mm x 238 mm) paper size
Purchased, 1947
Reference Collection
NPG D12354
Sittersback to top
- Frederick William I, King of Prussia (1688-1740), Reigned 1713-40. Sitter associated with 6 portraits. Identify
- King George III (1738-1820), Reigned 1760-1820. Sitter associated with 194 portraits. Identify
- Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor (1741-1790), King of Bohemia and Hungary. Sitter in 5 portraits. Identify
- Louis XVI, King of France (1754-1793), King of France 1774-1792. Sitter in 17 portraits. Identify
Artistsback to top
- Samuel William Fores (baptised 1761-1838), Printseller and publisher. Artist or producer associated with 119 portraits.
- James Gillray (1756-1815), Caricaturist. Artist or producer associated with 887 portraits, Sitter in 7 portraits.
Events of 1787back to top
Current affairs
Social reformers Granville Sharp and Thomas Clarkson found the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade in London with support from John Wesley, Josiah Wedgwood and others.George III shows first signs of mental instability in November.
Art and science
Painter Robert Barker takes out a patent on the Panorama..Astronomer William Herschel discovers the two moons of Uranus, Titania and Oberon.
The original Lord's Cricket Ground holds its first cricket match.
International
Captain William Bligh sets sail for Tahiti on The Bounty.First performance of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Don Giovanni at the National Theatre, Prague.
A British ship lands a party of freed slaves as the first modern settlers in Sierra Leone.
Captain Arthur Phillip leaves Portsmouth with eleven ships full of convicts to establish a penal colony in Australia.
Bahamas become a British colony.
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