'The royal joke, - or - black jacks delight'
1 portrait of Anne Sawbridge (née Stevenson)
'The royal joke, - or - black jacks delight'
by James Gillray, published by Samuel William Fores
hand-coloured etching, published 25 April 1788
9 3/4 in. x 13 3/4 in. (249 mm x 350 mm) plate size; 10 1/4 in. x 14 1/2 in. (261 mm x 367 mm) paper size
Purchased, 1947
Reference Collection
NPG D12996
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.
Sittersback to top
- Sarah Archer (née West), Lady Archer (1741-1801), Wife of Andrew, 2nd Lord Archer. Sitter in 8 portraits. Identify
- George Hanger, 4th Baron Coleraine (1751?-1824), Eccentric. Sitter in 20 portraits. Identify
- Edward Smith Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby (1752-1834), Sportsman and patron of horse-racing. Sitter associated with 65 portraits. Identify
- Maria Anne Fitzherbert (née Smythe) (1756-1837), Famous beauty; morganatic wife of George IV. Sitter in 25 portraits. Identify
- Charles James Fox (1749-1806), Whig statesman. Sitter associated with 313 portraits. Identify
- King George IV (1762-1830), Regent 1811-19; Reigned 1820-30. Sitter associated with 274 portraits. Identify
- Anne Sawbridge (née Stevenson) (active 1788), Wife of John Sawbridge. Sitter in 1 portrait. Identify
- John Sawbridge (1732?-1795), Lord Mayor of London. Sitter in 12 portraits. Identify
- Gertrude Vanneck (active 1788), Daughter of Sir Joshua Vanneck, 1st Bt. Sitter in 1 portrait. Identify
Events of 1788back to top
Current affairs
Parliament begins an investigation into the slave trade, led by reformers Thomas Clarkson and William Wilberforce.Regency Crisis; George III's madness is announced provoking a political storm.
Former Governor-General of Bengal Warren Hastings' trial begins before the House of Lords.
Henry Benedict Stuart becomes the new Stuart claimant to the British throne.
Art and science
Artist Thomas Gainsborough dies.First edition of The Times newspaper is published in London.
Scottish engineer and inventor William Symington demonstrates the first paddle steamer on Dalswinton Loch near Dumfries.
Robert Burns writes his version of the Scots poem Auld Lang Syne.
International
Ministers of the French King, Louis XVI, reluctantly announce that the Estates General will meet the following year, for the first time since 1614.United States constitution comes into force when New Hampshire becomes the ninth state to ratify it.
First Fleet reaches Australia, anchoring in Botany Bay. Arthur Phillip, selecting a suitable site for the first Australian penal colony, names the place Sydney Cove.
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