Artwork
H Beard Print Collection
H Beard Print Collection is a print by the Romanticist artist James Sayers. It dates from 26 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
This print by James Sayers mixes politics and humor in 1805 London.
Samuel Whitbread, dressed as barrels, storms at Viscount Melville, shown as a thistle.
William Wilberforce floats above, urging calm.
This was a protest print, poking fun at powerful men.
It shows how prints could mock leaders at the time.
Look up the museum that keeps this print, Victoria and Albert Museum.
Overview
This 1805 print, 'The Brewer and the Thistle', is a satirical work by James Sayers, published by Hannah Humphrey in London. It is part of the H Beard Print Collection.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a confrontation between Samuel Whitbread, dressed in barrels, and Viscount Melville, represented as a thistle. William Wilberforce floats above, preaching. The caricature ridicules these prominent figures, likely commenting on a contemporary political issue.
Technique & Style
The work is a caricature, using humor and exaggeration to make a point. By dressing its subjects in absurd attire, the print mocks their seriousness and authority.
History & Provenance
The print is now held in the Victoria and Albert Museum, indicating its significance as a historical artifact. It was created during a time when prints were a common means of satirizing leaders.
Artist & collection
Artist
James Sayers was a specialist in satirical prints that mocked British politics in the late 1700s and early 1800s.
