The False Alarm: or Much ado about nothing HB Sketches No. 89
Printmaker:
Doyle, John (HB)
Publisher:
McLean, Thomas
Lithograph (uncoloured) on white wove paper. Inlaid within a frame of buff wove paper (approx. height 360mm x width 515mm). The portly figure of John Bull, the gentleman farmer, stands at the centre, raising a staff in his right hand at a group of figures at the far left falling over themselves to get away, three of them with speech contained in speech bubbles: 'No Police'. Bull, with printed speech inside a bubble above: 'You miserable set of Ragamuffins, ... frightened the poor Lord Mayor, & His Majesty's Ministers / out of their wits!'. John Bull gestures with his left arm to a group of figures on the right; King William IV under whose cloak Wellington takes shelter and Peel (dressed as a policeman) who crouches behind him. The King, with printed speech inside a bubble above: 'I think the Don-Key as / they call him- has made us all / look very like asses!'. Wellington's response contained inside a speech bubble above: 'But your M-j-ty I had _other_ / Information ... I should be received in the City Hall / with "cold indifference"!!!'. Speech inside a bubble from an unidentifed figure behind Wellington: 'With cold indifference! / think of that!'. The artist's initials in monogram at lower left: 'HB'. Title printed below the border: 'THE FALSE ALARM: / or / Much ado about nothing.'. The publisher's details printed below: 'Published by Thos McLean, 26 Haymarket, Novr 16th 1830.'. Printer's details below the border at lower right: 'Printed by C. Motte, 23, Leicester Sqre.'. Handwritten in graphite at upper right: '89'. See 16326,_Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires_, Vol. XI, 1828-1832, M.D. George, published 1954, p. 366. A number '[89]' printed in square brackets in the right-hand margin on p. 366 relates to the handwritten number at upper right, both referencing the sequence of John Doyle's Political Sketches series.
Given by Mrs J.E. Foster, 1895
Method of acquisition: Given (1895) by Foster, J.E., Mrs
19th Century
Production date:
AD 1830-11-16
Height 277mm x width 373mm
Accession number: P.14666-R
Primary reference Number: 225255
Stephens/George: 16326
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Paintings, Drawings and Prints
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "The False Alarm: or Much ado about nothing" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/225255 Accessed: 2024-12-23 00:19:45
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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/225255
|title=The False Alarm: or Much ado about nothing
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-23 00:19:45|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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