James Gillray

James Gillray
Charles Turner, James Gillray, 1819, mezzotint after Gillray's self-portrait, National Portrait Gallery, London
Born(1756-08-13)13 August 1756[1][2]
Chelsea, Middlesex, Great Britain
Died1 June 1815(1815-06-01) (aged 58)
St James's, City and Liberty of Westminster, United Kingdom
NationalityEnglish
OccupationsCaricaturist, printmaker

James Gillray (13 August 1756[1][2] – 1 June 1815) was a British caricaturist and printmaker famous for his etched political and social satires, mainly published between 1792 and 1810. Many of his works are held at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Gillray has been called "the father of the political cartoon", with his works satirizing George III, Napoleon, prime ministers and generals.[3] Regarded as one of the two most influential cartoonists, the other being William Hogarth, Gillray's wit and humour, knowledge of life, fertility of resource, keen sense of the ludicrous, and beauty of execution, at once gave him the first place among caricaturists.[3][4][5]

  1. ^ a b Gillray, James and Draper Hill (1966). Fashionable contrasts. Phaidon. p. 8.
  2. ^ a b Baptism register for Fetter Lane (Moravian) confirms birth as 13 August 1756, baptism 17 August 1756
  3. ^ a b "Satire, sewers and statesmen: why James Gillray was king of the cartoon". The Guardian. 16 June 2015.
  4. ^ Chisholm 1911, p. 24.
  5. ^ "James Gillray: The Scourge of Napoleon". HistoryToday.