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Blowing up the Pic Nic's [sic], or, Harlequin Quixotte attacking the Puppets
Print
04/1802 (made)
04/1802 (made)
| Artist/Maker |
This cartoon by the prolific British satirist and printmaker James Gillray, published on 2nd April 1802 by Hannah Humphrey, one of London's leading female printsellers, shows the playwright and theatre manager Richard Brinsley Sheridan dressed as Harlequin in a diamond-patterned suit, leading the group of professional actors David Garrick (rising from the grave in his shroud); the singer Mrs. Elizabeth Billington; the actors William Thomas Lewis, J.P. Kemble and Sarah Siddons, in a protest against the members of the amateur acting group The Pic Nic Society who performed at London's Tottenham Street Concert Rooms. The name of the venue is referenced in the title: Blowing up the Pic Nic's [sic], or, Harlequin Quixotte attacking the Puppets. Vide Tottenham Street Pantomime. The playbill by the stage advertises the production Tom Thumb.
The performers on the stage being blown up include Albinia, Countess of Buckinghamshire, amateur actress and obsessive gambler; George James Cholmondeley, 1st Marquess of Cholmondeley; Henry Francis Greville, Lieutenant-Colonel, actor and founder of The Pic-Nic Society, and Richard Edgcumbe, 2nd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe. Productions by The Pic Nic Society were unwelcome competition to professional actors and theatre managers, considered decadent and extravagant by those who launched attacks against them in the press. Sheridan is shown here flourishing a quill pen, its feathers inscribed with the names Morning Chronicle, Morning Herald, Morning Post and Morning Courier - newspapers in which his diatribes against the Pic Nics were published. Gillray based this cartoon on the incident in the novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes when Don Quixote destroys Master Peter's puppet show.
Gillray frequently lampooned the exclusive Pic Nic Society that flourished between 1801 and 1803, because of the type of members they attracted, primarily aristocratic gamblers, epicurean diners and amateur actors or 'dilettante'. They drank expensive wine and champagne and ate lavish meals, one of which is depicted here tumbling to the floor.
The performers on the stage being blown up include Albinia, Countess of Buckinghamshire, amateur actress and obsessive gambler; George James Cholmondeley, 1st Marquess of Cholmondeley; Henry Francis Greville, Lieutenant-Colonel, actor and founder of The Pic-Nic Society, and Richard Edgcumbe, 2nd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe. Productions by The Pic Nic Society were unwelcome competition to professional actors and theatre managers, considered decadent and extravagant by those who launched attacks against them in the press. Sheridan is shown here flourishing a quill pen, its feathers inscribed with the names Morning Chronicle, Morning Herald, Morning Post and Morning Courier - newspapers in which his diatribes against the Pic Nics were published. Gillray based this cartoon on the incident in the novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes when Don Quixote destroys Master Peter's puppet show.
Gillray frequently lampooned the exclusive Pic Nic Society that flourished between 1801 and 1803, because of the type of members they attracted, primarily aristocratic gamblers, epicurean diners and amateur actors or 'dilettante'. They drank expensive wine and champagne and ate lavish meals, one of which is depicted here tumbling to the floor.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Blowing up the Pic Nic's [sic], or, Harlequin Quixotte attacking the Puppets (published title) |
| Materials and techniques | Engraving |
| Brief description | Satirical print entitled Blowing up the Pic Nic's [sic], or, Harlequin Quixotte attacking the Puppets. Hand-coloured etching and aquatint by James Gillray (1715-1856), published by Hannah Humphrey (ca.1745-1818), 2nd April 1802 |
| Physical description | Satirical print showing Richard Brinsley Sheridan as a portly Harlequin, leading famous actors of the day in an attack on another group of actors on a small stage. The attackers include John Philip Kemble, dressed in black, his arms raised, with Mrs Billington, to left, and Sarah Siddons, to right, The mob behind them wave banners inscribed with the names of playwrights. Sheridan flourishes a large quill pen with multiple ends which are exploding like fireworks, the feathers inscribed with the names of newspapers. At lower left, the dead David Garrick breaks through the floorboards and pushes his winding sheet aside. On the stage the actors react in horror. A bare-breasted woman raises her arms and crockery slides from a table to the ground. A playbill to the left of the stage advertises Picnic Theatre in Tom Thumb. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Accepted by HM Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1996 |
| Summary | This cartoon by the prolific British satirist and printmaker James Gillray, published on 2nd April 1802 by Hannah Humphrey, one of London's leading female printsellers, shows the playwright and theatre manager Richard Brinsley Sheridan dressed as Harlequin in a diamond-patterned suit, leading the group of professional actors David Garrick (rising from the grave in his shroud); the singer Mrs. Elizabeth Billington; the actors William Thomas Lewis, J.P. Kemble and Sarah Siddons, in a protest against the members of the amateur acting group The Pic Nic Society who performed at London's Tottenham Street Concert Rooms. The name of the venue is referenced in the title: Blowing up the Pic Nic's [sic], or, Harlequin Quixotte attacking the Puppets. Vide Tottenham Street Pantomime. The playbill by the stage advertises the production Tom Thumb. The performers on the stage being blown up include Albinia, Countess of Buckinghamshire, amateur actress and obsessive gambler; George James Cholmondeley, 1st Marquess of Cholmondeley; Henry Francis Greville, Lieutenant-Colonel, actor and founder of The Pic-Nic Society, and Richard Edgcumbe, 2nd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe. Productions by The Pic Nic Society were unwelcome competition to professional actors and theatre managers, considered decadent and extravagant by those who launched attacks against them in the press. Sheridan is shown here flourishing a quill pen, its feathers inscribed with the names Morning Chronicle, Morning Herald, Morning Post and Morning Courier - newspapers in which his diatribes against the Pic Nics were published. Gillray based this cartoon on the incident in the novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes when Don Quixote destroys Master Peter's puppet show. Gillray frequently lampooned the exclusive Pic Nic Society that flourished between 1801 and 1803, because of the type of members they attracted, primarily aristocratic gamblers, epicurean diners and amateur actors or 'dilettante'. They drank expensive wine and champagne and ate lavish meals, one of which is depicted here tumbling to the floor. |
| Associated objects |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.167-1997 |
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| Record created | October 20, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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