1 OF 4 
Horatio Nelson ('Extirpation of the plagues of Egypt; - destruction of revolutionary crocodiles; - or - the British hero cleansing ye mouth of ye Nile')
1 of 4 portraits matching these criteria:
- subject matching 'Nelson'
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Share this
Horatio Nelson ('Extirpation of the plagues of Egypt; - destruction of revolutionary crocodiles; - or - the British hero cleansing ye mouth of ye Nile')
by James Gillray, published by Hannah Humphrey
hand-coloured etching and engraving, published 6 October 1798
10 1/4 in. x 14 1/4 in. (259 mm x 362 mm) plate size; 10 5/8 in. x 15 in. (271 mm x 382 mm) paper size
Purchased, 1947
Reference Collection
NPG D12660
Sitterback to top
- Horatio Nelson, Viscount Nelson (1758-1805), Vice-Admiral and victor of Trafalgar. Sitter in 86 portraits.
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.
This portraitback to top
News of Nelson's resounding victory at the Battle of the Nile reached London on 2 October 1798. Four days later Gillray published this detailed print outlining the main events. Nelson in Herculean pose, armed with a club of 'British Oak', dispatches a group of writhing tricolour crocodiles that stand in for French warships. Those tethered with cords symbolise the nine ships captured by the British. In the background the largest crocodile emits a stream of fire from its mouth in reference to the French flag-ship l'Orient which blew up. Only two ships escaped, here seen heading for the shore where the monuments and pyramids of Egypt are clearly visible. It was popular icons such as this that helped to foster the adulatory cult of hero-worship that surrounded Nelson after the successes of the Egyptian campaign.
Placesback to top
- Place made: United Kingdom: England, London (27 St James's Street, London)
- Place portrayed: Egypt (The river Nile, Egypt)
Subjects & Themesback to top
Events of 1798back to top
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.
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.
