Excise inquisition erecting by English slaves under the scourge of their task-masters the excise officers, Dent, William

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Excise inquisition erecting by English slaves under the scourge of their task-masters the excise officers, Dent, William, active 1783-1793, artist, England, en sanguine engraving 1790, a British satire on an attempt by William Pitt and George Rose to transfer to excise law certain import duties; standing in opposition is Edward Thurlow. The central image shows Britannia, wrapped in a blanket labeled Extension of Excise, being rocked to sleep in a cradle by Pitt and Rose. Another man, possibly William Mainwaring, is holding Britannia's spear and shield which is labeled Maner and saying By, by, lullaby; to the right of his feet is the British lion, blindfolded and chained to the ground. The destruction of the Bastille is shown in the upper right corner; by depicting the Bastille in a state of ruin, reference is made to the recent liberation of the French, and by implication, to the tyranny under which the British continue to live.

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Size: 4999px × 3577px
Photo credit: © Artokoloro / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: exciseinquisitionerectingenglishslaves, , imageengravementvictorianartcultureillustrative, styledengraved, techniquehistoryhistoricalantiquenostalgiaarkheianostalgichistoricartwork-fashionedromanticagedtraditional