In her description of this sheet, Mary George notes that after the Peace of Amiens, English tourists traveled to France in large numbers. Using conventions of the "contrast print," the satirist juxtaposed three different national types: Napoleon, standing in for the French; John Bull, the consummate Englishman; and Hibernia, representing Ireland, England's reluctant "bride." Legs crossed and arms open in a gesture that beckons conversation, Napoleon sits easily in an elegant round-back chair. His elegant clothing--the typical blue uniform and black jack boots--and genteel manner contrast with his decidedly frumpy and uncouth visitors. John Bull and Hibernia perch on a green sofa that is clearly too small for their prepossessing girth. Napoleon, the flatterer, is overly polite in his attempts to win his foreign guests over with admiration. Bull, sitting between Napoleon and Hibernia, expresses himself in common, straightforward language, denying that he knows "any more of politeness than a Cow does of a new shilling!!" Indeed, Bull has failed to remove his hat, and is dressed in plain clothing suggestive of his middle-class origins. He sits with his large hands planted squarely on his knees, his legs spread apart to accommodate his large stomach. Hibernia, Bull's wife, chastises Bull for his lack of good breeding. Whereas Bull is dressed simply, Hibernia is rouged and dressed in clothing unbecoming her situation. She wears a low-cut dress layered in fabrics of yellow, white and blue; at her neck a frothy collar of lace is ornamented with a medallion bearing the Irish Harp. Hibernia's heft matches that of Bull, yet, the gaudy clothing and her eye-catching accessories--a fan and a plumed headdress--indicate her desire to appear above her social class. The original sheet has been mounted onto another sheet of heavier paper. The measurements above indicate first the size of the actual sheet; the mount measures 26 x 38 cm. In the lower left corner, at the bottom of the sheet, a triangle in graphite. In her description of this sheet, Mary George notes that after the Peace of Amiens, English tourists traveled to France in large numbers. Using conventions of the "contrast print," the satirist juxtaposed three different national types: Napoleon, standing in for the French; John Bull, the consummate Englishman; and Hibernia, representing Ireland, England's reluctant "bride." Legs crossed and arms open in a gesture that beckons conversation, Napoleon sits easily in an elegant round-back chair. His elegant clothing--the typical blue uniform and black jack boots--and genteel manner contrast with his decidedly frumpy and uncouth visitors. John Bull and Hibernia perch on a green sofa that is clearly too small for their prepossessing girth. Napoleon, the flatterer, is overly polite in his attempts to win his foreign guests over with admiration. Bull, sitting between Napoleon and Hibernia, expresses himself in common, straightforward language, denying that he knows "any more of politeness than a Cow does of a new shilling!!" Indeed, Bull has failed to remove his hat, and is dressed in plain clothing suggestive of his middle-class origins. He sits with his large hands planted squarely on his knees, his legs spread apart to accommodate his large stomach. Hibernia, Bull's wife, chastises Bull for his lack of good breeding. Whereas Bull is dressed simply, Hibernia is rouged and dressed in clothing unbecoming her situation. She wears a low-cut dress layered in fabrics of yellow, white and blue; at her neck a frothy collar of lace is ornamented with a medallion bearing the Irish Harp. Hibernia's heft matches that of Bull, yet, the gaudy clothing and her eye-catching accessories--a fan and a plumed headdress--indicate her desire to appear above her social class. The original sheet has been mounted onto another sheet of heavier paper. The measurements above indicate first the size of the actual sheet; the mount measures 26 x 38 cm. In the lower left corner, at the bottom of the sheet, a triangle in graphite. Published by Samuel W. Fores. 1802-05-14 Caption: May 14th 1802 by S W Fores 50 Piccadilly Dialogue: Napoleon, (l.): " Indeed Mr. Bull I am quite charmed with you--there is something so easy and polite in Your manners." John Bull, (center): " Come--come Mounseer Bonny-party thats all gammon d'ye see--D__n me of I know any more about politeness than a Cow does of a new shilling." Hibernia, (r.): "For shame Mr. Bull, what will the Jontleman think of your Blarney about Gammon and Cows and Bodder and Nonsense, by St. Patrick, I must send you to Kilkenny to learn good breeding." Inscription: Folios of Caricatures lent out for the Evening Printed Signature: W.S. scpt. Collector's Mark: A
