Primary Source

Promised Horrors of the French Invasion

Promised Horrors of the French Invasion

Annotation

This highly sophisticated political cartoon by the noted engraver James Gillray from October 1796 responds to Edmund Burke’s pamphlet, "Reflections on a Regicide Peace." This image argues against further war with France to avoid bankrupting the British treasury and exposing England itself to invasion. This cartoon mocks that idea, attributing it to the supposedly "radical" tendencies of opposition leader Charles James Fox, who here is depicted as a sans–culotte with no pants at all, having tied his rival, Prime Minster William Pitt, to a "Liberty Tree."

Credits

Works of James Gillray, the Caricaturist with the History of his Life and Times. Edited by Thomas Wright. London.

How to Cite This Source

"Promised Horrors of the French Invasion," in World History Commons, https://worldhistorycommons.org/promised-horrors-french-invasion [accessed March 28, 2024]