The bar of public opinion

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Robert Seymour
1798-1836
The bar of public opinion
[London] : [G. Cowie],
wood engraving
74 x 92 mm
Peel 2168
Provenance: 
Formerly owned by Sir Robert Peel.
Notes: 

Probably detached from one of four issues of Whiggeries and waggeries, London : William Strange, 1834. This publication reprinted wood engravings by Robert Seymour, Robert Cruikshank, and others which had previously appeared-- often with different captions-- in Figaro in London, also published by Strange. The identical image appeared in Figaro in London, no. 63, 1833, with the title Dreadful case of cruelty: the King and Queen at the bar of Public Opinion.

Summary: 

King William IV and Queen Adelaide stand dejectedly behind a counter inscribed "The Bar of Public Opinion"; a beggar-woman labelled "The Whig Reform Bill" kneels beside them. Behind her, Britannia-- in a fashionable dress and bonnet and walking a small, human-faced lion on a leash like a dog-- stands with her nose upturned. A man-- possibly John Bull-- observes from the background.

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