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John Bull and The Sinking Fund - a Petty scheme for Reducing the Taxes & paying off
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John Bull and The Sinking Fund - a Petty scheme for Reducing the Taxes & paying off
872450 John Bull and The Sinking Fund - a Petty scheme for Reducing the Taxes & paying off the National Debt, pub. H Humphrey, London, 1807 (hand-coloured engaving) by Gillray, James (1757-1815); Private Collection; (add.info.: Lord Henry Petty (1780-1863) as Chancellor of the Exchequer shovelling coins onto the heads of government ministers; personification of Great Britain bearing weight; ); The Stapleton Collection; English, out of copyright
Media ID 22736930
© The Stapleton Collection / Bridgeman Images
Bearing Collecting Dividends Eager Excess Excitement Funds Gathering Greed Load Member Of Parliament Minister Revenue Riches Sack Shovel Showering Spade Strain Taxes Back Breaking Regency
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John Bull and The Sinking Fund - a Petty Scheme for Reducing Taxes & Paying off the National Debt
EDITORS COMMENTS
. In this hand-colored engraving by James Gillray, we are transported back to London in 1807. The image portrays Lord Henry Petty, Chancellor of the Exchequer, engaged in a rather peculiar act. With an eager expression on his face, he is seen shoveling coins onto the heads of government ministers. The scene symbolizes the concept of reducing taxes and paying off the national debt through what appears to be a petty scheme. John Bull, personifying Great Britain itself, can be seen bearing the weight of this financial burden while wealth rains down upon him. Gillray's satirical masterpiece captures both excitement and excess as dividends gather around these politicians like raindrops during a storm. The strain caused by taxation is vividly depicted through their back-breaking efforts to collect every last coin. This political cartoon serves as a scathing critique on greed within Parliament and highlights how revenue raised through taxation burdens ordinary citizens while benefiting those in power. It exposes the absurdity of such schemes that promise relief but ultimately contribute to further inequality. As we gaze at this intriguing print from Fine Art Finder's Stapleton Collection, it reminds us that even centuries ago, issues surrounding money and politics were subjects ripe for satire and social commentary.
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