James Gillray

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James Gillray. Colored copper engraving after a self-portrait

James Gillray (born August 13, 1757 in Chelsea ; died June 1, 1815 in London ) was a British cartoonist and etcher .

life and work

Gillray studied from 1778 at the Royal Academy of Arts . His earliest known cartoon was "Paddy on Horseback," which he published in 1779. The caricatures were published and sold by the sister of the graphic artist William Humphrey , Miss Hannah Humphrey, with whom Gillray lived and in whose shop window he also exhibited. His work was distributed primarily through folders and through “print shops” and was also printed on the European continent, including by the Weimarer Journal in Paris and London .

His political caricatures also found a quick echo on the continent; quite a few of the Weimarer Journal had published Paris and London since 1798.

From 1782 he published continuously and almost exclusively caricatures that related to current political events. Gillray was best known for his political and social caricatures from the time of the Napoleonic wars and proved to be a dynamic, accurate and sharp critic of his time and general human weaknesses. In addition to the social and political conditions in his homeland, he also took an equally critical look at what was going on in France , especially the French Revolution . His graphics were characterized by a dry, British humor.

Like Thomas Rowlandson , he was close to the former William Hogarth with his work, but was more direct with his criticism of people. With their direct and quick reaction to daily political events, these caricaturists ushered in the so-called “Golden Age of English Caricature”. In his caricatures he primarily attacked the British King George III. (as Farmer George ), his wife Sophie Charlotte and his son, the Prince of Wales and later George IV . In addition, other members of the British royal family were popular targets of his ridicule, but also Napoleon Bonaparte , Charles James Fox , Edmund Burke and William Pitt .

From 1797 Gillray worked on behalf of the government under Edmund Burke and William Pitt , which paid him. After 1807, Gillray deteriorated mentally and was later referred to as "insane". He died in 1815.

Works (selection)

Almost 1,000 prints by James Gillray are known, most of them etchings. Some of his graphics are in the British Museum , the Victoria and Albert Museum, and other museums.

  • The Zenith of French Glory
    The height of French fame

  • Breathing a vein
    The bloodletting

  • A voluptuary
    A sensualist

  • The Plumb-pudding in danger, or, State epicures taking un petit souper ...
    The plumb pudding in danger, or: two political connoisseurs taking a small meal ...

  • Germans eating sour-krout Germans eating
    sauerkraut

  • Shakespeare Sacrificed
  • The Siege of Blenheim
  • Hey Steers His Flight

literature

Web links

Commons : James Gillray  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Gillray, James . In: Herbert Read (Ed.): DuMonts Künstlerlexikon. DuMonts Buchverlag, Cologne 1997, ISBN 3-7701-4015-X , p. 220.
  2. ↑ a b c James Gillray. In: Encyclopædia Britannica . (English).
  3. ↑ a b c d e Gillray, James . In: Harald Olbrich (Ed.): Lexicon of Art. Architecture, fine arts, applied arts, industrial design, art theory. Volume 2 (Cin - Gree). Munich 1996.
personal data
SURNAME Gillray, James
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British cartoonist
DATE OF BIRTH August 13, 1757
PLACE OF BIRTH Chelsea
DATE OF DEATH June 1, 1815
Place of death London