The Genius of France Nursing her Darling, 26 November 1804
Scope and Contents
Artist: James Gillray. Published: Hannah Humphrey. France, a savage virago, dandles a tiny Napoleon seated on her right. hand and wearing a royal robe over his military dress. Above her head she holds a rattle with bells surmounted by a crown. She grins at the mannikin, singing:
"There's a little King Pippin
"He shall have a Rattle & Crown,
※ Bless thy five Wits my Baby
"Mind it dont throw itself down!
Hey my Kitten, my kitten &c &c.
Below the design is a note:
'※"False of Heart, light of Ear, bloody of Hand,
"Fox in Stealth, Wolf in Greediness, Dog in Madness,
"Lion in Prey: - bless thy Five Wits" -
vide Shakespeares King Lear'
Beside her (left) is the plain wicker cradle from which she has snatched Napoleon, who points eagerly at the crown on the rattle, holding up a sceptre. She wears a bonnet rouge with tricolour cockade, a loose dress defining her figure, and sits in a small armchair, decorated with little decollated heads and a guillotine. Hand, dress, and the heads on the chair are blood-stained. Beside her are her spear, dripping blood, and shield; this is tricolour; on it is the bleeding head of Louis XVI above a reversed crown, with the inscriptions: 'Vive la Republique' and 'The Last of Kings'. Pose, shield, and spear suggest a comparison (and contrast) with Britannia.
Description from the British Museum.
Dates
- Creation: 26 November 1804
Conditions Governing Access
Physical item available by appointment in our Reading Room
Extent
1.0 Item(s)
Language of Materials
English
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections and Archives Repository
Western Bank Library
University of Sheffield
Western Bank
Sheffield South Yorkshire S10 2TN United Kingdom
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