Description:
English black and white copper plate engraving of John Wilkes, Esq. in a modern frame, drawn and engraved by I. Miller in Maiden Lane and published in London on June 30, 1763 for 2 shillings, 6 pence. The inscription under the portrait reads: "JOHN WILKES Esqr./ Member of Parliament for Aylesbury Bucks/ Great without Title, beyond Fortune bless'd;/ Rich, ev'n when plunder'd, honour'd while oppressed;/ Lov'd without Youth, & follow'd without Power;/ At Home, tho' exil'd; free, tho' in the Tower./ Pope". The motto over the shield reads: "". Wilkes, an English political reformer and satirist, became a member of Parliament for Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire in 1757. Although considered a radical in England (with a notorious private life), he was honored for his integrity. Throughout his long career both in and out of government, Wilkes advocated for basic civil rights such as free speech, freedom of the press, standardized procedures for police arrests, and colonial rights. In 1761, Wilkes started the periodical, "The North Briton", which satirized the government. The provocative tone of this publication made it an instant hit, selling well over 2,000 copies weekly, nearly ten times the circulation of the government friendly, conservative newspaper, "The Briton." In 1763, "The North Briton" issue "No. 45” said, in effect, that the colonies should be free and satirized King George III’s speech from the throne, which outraged the King and court and lead to his being convicted of libel in 1764 before Lord Mansfield. Cries of “Wilkes and Liberty,” went up from his adoring public in support of his cause, and the “No. 45” represented a movement of revolt against the government. According to Wilkes, his trial would determine whether “English liberty be a reality or a shadow.” Wilkes won his case, claiming Parliamentary privilege exempted him from prosecution; however when he was charged with blasphemous libel after being expelled from parliament, Wilkes fled England, returning in 1768 when he was arrested again, serving 22 months in prison. Eventually he was expelled from Parliament five times between 1764 and 1772, and served as Lord Mayor of London in 1774. Wilkes’ fame resulted in his idolization in England and the American colonies; many commemorative items with Wilkes' image, such as prints and ceramics, were produced for the domestic market and export. Although Wilkes supported the independence of the American colonies, he did have his detractors; Benjamin Franklin called Wilkes “an outlaw …of bad character, not worth a farthing.” The cross-eyed Wilkes is shown in half-length portrait, looking out of an opening of stone-framed window with a keystone over his head. Dressed in braided waistcoat, vest, laced cuffs, and peruke, he pushes away a drapery with his right hand as the tassel falls on the window sill, and holds a book in his left hand. This print is the design source for a delft bowl (HD 1355), and a Chinese export reverse painting on glass (HD 65.030), and a porcelain plate in the Winterthur collection.
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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+78.029 |
