'Begging no robbery; - ie - voluntary contribution; - or - John Bull escaping a forced loan'
'Begging no robbery; - ie - voluntary contribution; - or - John Bull escaping a forced loan'
by James Gillray, published by Hannah Humphrey
hand-coloured etching, published 10 December 1796
10 x 14 1/8 in. (254 mm x 358 mm) plate size; 10 1/2 in. x 14 3/4 in. (265 mm x 375 mm) paper size
Purchased, 1947
Reference Collection
NPG D12588
Sittersback to top
- John Bull (active 1712-present), Fictitious epitomist of Englishness and British imperialism. Sitter associated with 151 portraits.
- Edmund Burke (1729-1797), Statesman; orator; author. Sitter associated with 107 portraits. Identify
- William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville (1759-1834), Prime Minister. Sitter associated with 70 portraits. Identify
- Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (1742-1811), Statesman. Sitter associated with 82 portraits. Identify
- William Pitt (1759-1806), Prime Minister. Sitter associated with 174 portraits. Identify
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.
Subjects & Themesback to top
Events of 1796back to top
Current affairs
Birth of Princess Charlotte, only child of George, Prince of Wales and Princess Caroline whose marriage soon quickly and publicly degenerates.Art and science
Fanny Burney publishes Camilla, one of several influential novels exploring social misunderstanding and the fashionable mode of sensibility.Architect William Chambers completes the building of Somerset House.
Collector William Beckford, the richest man in England, begins construction of his gothic fantasy Fonthill Abbey.
International
Napoleon Bonaparte assumes command of the French armies in Italy and defeats the Austrians at Millesimo and the Piedmontese at Mondovi.Arthur Wellesley, later Duke of Wellington, arrives in India as a colonel.
John Adams is elected President of the United States, defeating Thomas Jefferson by three votes.
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