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To his royal highness Fredrick Duke of York, this plate of Satan holding th prepondrence of power; or, Bounaparte's threat, is most humbly inscribed, by E. Sanders, British Cartoon Print

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To his royal highness Fredrick Duke of York, this plate of Satan holding th prepondrence of power; or, Bounaparte's threat, is most humbly inscribed, by E. Sanders, British Cartoon Print

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Summary

Print shows Satan holding a balance to which, on one end is attached a hot-air balloon with a bishop, possibly the Duke of York, and another man standing on top, its lightness has skewed the balance to end over end; at the other end is a parachute with three men standing in the basket, it is about to crash on the coast of England. Behind Satan are storm clouds, lightning, and a flame emitting serpent; they may represent the gathering storm of the threat of invasion by Napoleon. Includes lengthy text with several speakers and numerous citations from the Bible, such as "Behold the Balance of unequel Freight as recent Prophets tell" Ez xviii 25, and as "Bony" Napoleon says, "He! he! he! I have got them all now! I'll lead them a dance to the point of the lance, on the top of the air Balloon" Isa xxxvi 12, vide x 3., Jer v 31, Amos ix 2, 3-10, Oba 10. It concludes with an "Invitation: Say, O ye sons of Ephraims, care, what joy? what glory will you share? / When to the world sweet peace returns, by the zeal your bosom burns; / Then join with me ye men forlorn! for unto you a son is born! the delegate of heaven Isa lxvi 9, vide xix 23, 24, 25 / ... * Say unto the cities of Juda, behold thy God, say unto the daughters of Zion, thy God reigneth, for unto you that fear his name shall the son of righteousness arise with healing in his wings, and to him shall the gathering together of all people be" Mal iv 2.

Forms part of: British Cartoon Prints Collection (Library of Congress).

Hot Air Baloons and Gas Baloons

It wasn't really until the 1700s that caricature truly blossomed as a form of political criticism. In the late 1750s, a man named Thomas Townshend began using the techniques employed by earlier engravers and applying them towards a political model. This gave Thompson's cartoons a much greater feeling of propaganda than previous artistic critiques of the time. The intense political climate of the period, and often accusatory nature of most political cartoons forced many artists to use pseudonyms in order to avoid accusations of libel. Other artists took it a step farther, and left their cartoons completely unsigned, foregoing any credit they may have received. Political higher-ups were notoriously touchy about their reputations and were not afraid to make examples of offenders. Puck was the first successful humor magazine in the United States of colorful cartoons, caricatures and political satire of the issues of the day. It was published from 1871 until 1918.

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Date

01/01/1803
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Source

Library of Congress
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