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Cartoon, British Tars, towing the Danish Fleet into Harbour
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Cartoon, British Tars, towing the Danish Fleet into Harbour
Cartoon, British Tars, towing the Danish Fleet into Harbour; the Broadbottom Leviathan trying to swamp Billys old Boat, & the little Corsican tottering on the Clouds of Ambition, by James Gillray. Showing outgoing coalition ministers spouting water ineffectively at a boat named the Billy Pitt (after the former Prime Minister). John Bull sits outside a pub named The Good Old Royal George and shout Rule Britannia. A small Napoleon up in the sky looks on in consternation. The three sailors are Hawkesbury, Castlereagh and Canning, who have replaced the former ministers. The cartoon is a comment on an international power struggle and an invasion plot which was foiled. Date: 1807
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Media ID 14230319
© The Sharp Illustration Collection / Mary Evans Picture Library
1800s 1807 Ambition Attack Billy Britannia Bull Clouds Coalition Comment Corsican Criticism Danger Danish Gillray Good Harsh Hero Heroes Heroic Leviathan Ministers Pitt Rule Satire Satirical Sheerness Shout Shouting Spouting Swamp Towing Whale Fleet Tars Tottering
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James Gillray's 'Cartoon, British Tars, towing the Danish Fleet into Harbour' is a satirical commentary on the international power struggle and an invasion plot that unfolded in 1807. The cartoon depicts three British sailors, Hawkesbury, Castlereagh, and Canning, towering the Danish fleet into harbor while outgoing coalition ministers, represented by men in the boat named "Billy Pitt," spout water ineffectively in a futile attempt to defend against the invasion. John Bull, a symbol of British national identity, sits outside a pub named "The Good Old Royal George," shouting "Rule Britannia," as he watches the scene unfold. In the background, a whale-like figure, named the "Broadbottom Leviathan," looms dangerously, threatening to swamp "Billy Pitt's" old boat. A small Napoleon, perched precariously on the clouds of ambition, looks on in consternation. This cartoon is a harsh criticism of the political climate of the time, with Gillray using humor and satire to comment on the events unfolding in Sheerness and the larger geopolitical situation. The cartoon was published in 1807, a time of great upheaval and change in European politics, and serves as a reminder of the complex and often tumultuous nature of international relations in the early 19th century.
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