'Parliamentary-reform, - or - opposition-rats, leaving the house they had undermined'
1 portrait of Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth
'Parliamentary-reform, - or - opposition-rats, leaving the house they had undermined'
by James Gillray, published by Hannah Humphrey
hand-coloured etching, published 28 May 1797
14 1/4 in. x 10 3/4 in. (363 mm x 272 mm) paper size
Purchased, 1947
Reference Collection
NPG D12614
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
- Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine (1750-1823), Lord Chancellor. Sitter associated with 69 portraits. Identify
- Charles James Fox (1749-1806), Whig statesman. Sitter associated with 313 portraits. Identify
- Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey (1764-1845), Prime Minister. Sitter associated with 190 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
- Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816), Dramatist and parliamentary orator. Sitter associated with 168 portraits. Identify
- Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth (1757-1844), Prime Minister. Sitter associated with 78 portraits. Identify
- Michael Angelo Taylor (circa 1757-1834), Barrister and politician; MP for Poole, Ilchester and City of Durham. Sitter associated with 35 portraits. Identify
- William Wilberforce (1759-1833), Philanthropist and reformer. Sitter associated with 33 portraits. Identify
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.
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