John Bull and the sinking-fund - a pretty scheme for reducing the taxes & paying-off the national debt! by James Gillray (1756-1815). Hand-coloured etching, published 23 February 1807 9 ¾ x 13 ¾ inches (249 mm x 348 mm) plate size; 10 ¼ x 14 ¼ inches (261 mm x 362 mm) paper size. NPG D12885Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, London NPG D12885. Purchased, 1947. Click on image to enlarge it
This print obviously attacks William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville, who served as Prime Minister from 11 February 1806 to 25 March 1807, for his government’s plan of a sinking fund, which the cartoonist charges places an intolerable burden on poor John Bull while filling the pockets of his supporters. At the right we see a group of men with Quaker hats standing before a monument to the nation’s “departed greatness” who cheer on Prime Minister. — George P. Landow
Related Material including more Gillray Caricatures of Grenville’s Government
- Biography of William Wyndham, Lord Grenville (1759-1834)
- The Cabinetical-Balance
- The Triumph of Quassia
Last modified 25 June 2020