Additional Makers
Benjamin West (1738-1820) (Artist); Mrs. H. Humprey (Publisher)
Description
This is an elaborate parody of Benjamin West's 1770 "Death of Wolfe" commemorating Wolfe's victory at the Battle of Quebec in 1759. The dying hero here is William Pitt, Prime Minister of Britain 1783 to 1801, and 1804 to 1806, expiring (politically) at the moment of victory. The passage of the Treason and Sedition Bills, which became law the next day, is the victory in this case. Pitt is being supported (left to right) by: Edmund Burke, paymaster of the forces; Pepper Arden, Master of the
Rolls; and Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Mellville, an ally and minister of Pitt, offering Pitt a farewell glass of wine. the officer holding the British flag is Lord Chatham, Pitt's older brother; the man supporting him is a memeber of the House, Mr. Thomas Powys, noted for his propensity to break into tears in the Commons. The Lord Chancellor, Loughborough, figures as a Mohawk Indian seated on the Ground. The two running-footmen in livery are Sir Charles Long and George Rose, Treasury
secretaries. Also seen are Lords Mansfield and Grenville, William Windham, Secretary at War, the Duke of Richmond, and another figure thought to be Brook Watson, a member of Parliament.
From "Caricaturing Canada: English Views of Canadian Affairs", catalogue accompanying Carleton University 1985 exhibition in conjunction with the National Archives and National Gallery of Canada.
Image Licence
Copyright Expired
Image Credit
Library and Archives Canada, Acc. No. 1989-514-68
Location
Quebec Battlefield, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Country
Canada
Tags
Category
People & Society
