Description:
Hand-colored print titled on the bottom "RECRUITS" and "W.H. Bunbury delin." and "Watson & Dickinson Excuda." over "London PUBLISHED Jan. 1st. 1780 by Watson & Dickinson, No. 158 New Bond Street" and "2." printed in the upper left corner. The scene depicts a poised officer standing outside a tavern with the sign labelled "THE OLD FORTUNE" over a picture of a wooden-legged and armless veteran holding a glass of ale. Three roughly-dressed men stand in front of the officer, kept in a line by young soldier holding a pole in front of them as a man's laughing face watches them from the tavern door and a young woman sits on the ground next to the door with her basket. Henry William Bunbury (1750-1811) was an English caricaturist. After completing his studies at Cambridge University, he began to draw caricatures and other comic subjects, the first of which were etched and published in 1771. Bunbury then quickly rose to become one of the greatest satirical artists of the day with his etchings such as the series entitled, "Hints to Bad Horsemen." He also became close friends with the great artist, Thomas Rowlandson, who later engraved many of Bunbury's designs. A favorite subject for 18th century humorists was that of a group of nondescript recruits being processed for army duty. Bambury did this rendering around 1780, and shortly after France allied itself with the American colonies, the Bunbury satire was adapted by J.Juliet to comment on the recruitment of French troops for the conflict. This version was done by William Dickinson (1746-1823), publisher, printer, and printmaker and Thomas Watson (1743-1781), a printmaker, who worked together from 1779-1781. See also HD 58.229.
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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+79.042 |
