File:The Pitt Fall (BM 1868,0808.5899).jpg
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Captions
Summary
[edit]The Pitt Fall ( ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Artist |
Attributed to: Frederick George Byron
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Title |
The Pitt Fall |
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Description |
English: Pitt and his followers are in wild pursuit of the crown which soars on widespread wings in the upper right corner of the design. Pitt, reaching up to it, is about to fall over a cliff into the pit of hell, from which flames and smoke are rising. He says, "I'll have thee or perish in the attempt, for my ambition knows no bounds". Richmond falls head first into the pit, saying to two demons who wait for him with extended pitchforks, "Spare me this time and you shall have Coals in future without duty" (an allusion to the 'Richmond shilling'). One answers, "All your Great grandfather's [Charles II's] Whores are waiting dinner for you". Immediately behind Pitt runs Thurlow, his wig falling from his head; he raises the mace in both hands to strike at the flying crown, saying, "Bl-st my eyes I'll have a knock at it" (cf. BMSat 7320). Behind him, and on the extreme left, Grafton runs forward, saying, "Junius has lamed me, or I'd have a knock at it too." The demon who awaits Pitt says, "You will be elected Regent in our Dominions, Nem-con." January 1789?
Hand-coloured etching |
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Depicted people | Associated with: Charles II, King of England | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Date |
1789 date QS:P571,+1789-00-00T00:00:00Z/9 |
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Medium | paper | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Dimensions |
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Collection |
institution QS:P195,Q6373 |
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Current location |
Prints and Drawings |
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Accession number |
1868,0808.5899 |
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Notes |
(Description and comment from M.Dorothy George, 'Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum', VI, 1938) One of many satires on the Regency crisis (see BMSat 7377, &c.) in which Pitt is depicted as aiming at the crown, cf. BMSat 7382, &c. For Junius and Grafton see BMSats 4233, 4292; for the Richmond shilling, BMSats 7389, 7393. Grego, 'Rowlandson', i. 243-4. ................................................................. The attribution to Byron was made by David Alexander (personal communication, February 2009) who points out that the title is executed in the style of capital associated with Byron; he also suggests that the print was published by William Holland as he lists it among prints "Just Pub[lishe]d" on 'The Grand Procession', 29 April 1789 (BM 7525). The title also appeared in a list of prints advertised by William Holland in "The World", 20 August 1789 (information from Tim Clayton). |
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Source/Photographer | https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1868-0808-5899 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Permission (Reusing this file) |
© The Trustees of the British Museum, released as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 |
Licensing
[edit]This image is in the public domain because it is a mere mechanical scan or photocopy of a public domain original, or – from the available evidence – is so similar to such a scan or photocopy that no copyright protection can be expected to arise. The original itself is in the public domain for the following reason:
This tag is designed for use where there may be a need to assert that any enhancements (eg brightness, contrast, colour-matching, sharpening) are in themselves insufficiently creative to generate a new copyright. It can be used where it is unknown whether any enhancements have been made, as well as when the enhancements are clear but insufficient. For known raw unenhanced scans you can use an appropriate {{PD-old}} tag instead. For usage, see Commons:When to use the PD-scan tag. Note: This tag applies to scans and photocopies only. For photographs of public domain originals taken from afar, {{PD-Art}} may be applicable. See Commons:When to use the PD-Art tag. |
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Date/Time | Thumbnail | Dimensions | User | Comment | |
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current | 02:23, 9 May 2020 | 1,150 × 1,600 (616 KB) | Copyfraud (talk | contribs) | British Museum public domain uploads (Copyfraud/BM) Satirical prints in the British Museum 1789 #1,202/12,043 |
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Orientation | Normal |
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Horizontal resolution | 300 dpi |
Vertical resolution | 300 dpi |
Software used | Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 |
File change date and time | 16:49, 1 June 2005 |
Color space | Uncalibrated |