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National contrasts or Bulky and Boney / etch'd by Roberts., British Cartoon Print
Summary
Print shows, on the left, a plump, "bulky" Englishman smoking a pipe while seated at a table laden with food and drink, on his left a cornucopia overflows with coins, and under the table is a dog with collar labeled "John Bull"; in contrast, on the right sits a lean, "boney" Napoleon with oversized hat beset by wraiths labeled "cruelty," "envy" and "horrors."
See PC3 - 1805 for second impression with variant coloring.
Forms part of: British Cartoon Prints Collection (Library of Congress).
It wasn't really until the 1700s that caricature truly blossomed as a form of political criticism. In the late 1750s, a man named Thomas Townshend began using the techniques employed by earlier engravers and applying them towards a political model. This gave Thompson's cartoons a much greater feeling of propaganda than previous artistic critiques of the time. The intense political climate of the period, and often accusatory nature of most political cartoons forced many artists to use pseudonyms in order to avoid accusations of libel. Other artists took it a step farther, and left their cartoons completely unsigned, foregoing any credit they may have received. Political higher-ups were notoriously touchy about their reputations and were not afraid to make examples of offenders. Puck was the first successful humor magazine in the United States of colorful cartoons, caricatures and political satire of the issues of the day. It was published from 1871 until 1918.
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