Food for Thought

Week 1: Thursday, September 1

There is no reading due for today's meeting, but I would like you to look at the following etchings since we will discuss them in some detail during class.

William Hogarth (1697-1764) was one of Britain's most prominent artists during the 18th century. He was a moralist and a keen observer of the cultural, political, and social developements that took place around him. Yes, he exaggerated, but every caricature has a grain of truth. The first set of four etchings, "The Humours of an Election" (1755) chronicles a typical mid-18th century election in a small borough (urban electoral district). After that comes "The Roast Beef of England, or Calais Gate" (1749), Hogarth's vision of France. Finally, I have included "The March to Finchley" (1749). This last painting depicts British soldiers marching out of London in 1745 to confront the forces of Bonnie Prince Charlie (grandson of James II, the Stuart monarch deposed back in 1689) who sought to reclaim the throne for his family.

The Humours of an Election

"An Election Entertainment": In this large room, the Whigs of a small borough have held a political banquet in anticipation of an election. On the far left, one of the Whigs' candidates, a polite, aristocratic-looking young man endures a hug from a fat, tootheless woman. The man pressing the two together has allowed his pipe to set fire to the wig of the candidate. According to the paper held by the man sitting immediately to the right, the young candidate's name is "Sir Commodity Taxem." The flag on the left side of the room bears the Whigs' motto: "Liberty and Loyalty." As we follow the table to the right, we see two drunks pestering the candidate's agent. He must humor these low-lives to get their votes. Proceeding to the right, we see a very fat clergyman who has taken off his wig to mop his head. Next, a midget has enticed the fiddler to the table with a drink. The rest of the band consists of a Scot with bagpipes, a female fiddler, and a haughty looking man with a cello. Further to the right, two simpletons regard a man using a hand wrapped in a handkerchief to make faces. Next to him, a man with his wig askew (and his crutch behind him) seems appalled by the scene confronting him. The mayor of the town lies back in his chair as a doctor bleeds him; he has eaten numerous oysters. Behind the chair, an election agent attempts to bribe a Methodist tailor. The tailor's manly wife waves her fist in his face while his son points to the hole in his shoe. Meanwhile, by the window, one man pours a chamber pot upon a Tory procession while another prepares to throw a chair. The Tories have responded by throwing several bricks through the window. One of these bricks has toppled the election agent sitting in the right foreground. His open ledger records "Sure Votes" and "Doubtful Votes." In the center foreground, two thugs who have done battle with the Tories attempt to salve their wounds. One, a butcher, pours a bottle of gin into the open head-wound of the other who holds his club. The boy filling the tub of punch gazes at the two thugs with wonder.

"Canvassing for Votes": In the foreground, Hogarth shows Tory headquarters, a pub named the Royal Oak. The pub's sign shows Charles II's head in an oak tree with three crowns around it. In front of this pub sign, the Tories have hung a satirical broadcloth. The top half shows money pouring out of the treasury into a big wagon to help fund Whig bribes. The lower half pokes fun at the Whig candidate as "Punch Candidate for Guzzledown." Here, Punch pushes a wheelbarrow full of money as he throws coins to happy voters. Beneath and to the right of the sign, the Tory candidate buys trinkets from a peddler as he eyes the two girls up in the balcony on the upper right. Through the open window of the pub, one sees a man eating an entire chicken and another devouring a steak the size of a large cake. A messenger, on bended knee, has just arrived bearing two letters for the candidate. One bears the address of "Tim Partitool Esq." In the background, a Tory mob besieges the Whig pub which doubles as the Excise Office. As a member of the mob attempts to saw off the sign (oblivious to the fact that he will come down crashing with it), a Whig on the second floor opens fire on the crowd. In the foreground on the left, a cobbler (right) and a barber (left) sit before a pub named the Portobello, named after a great British naval victory. Using small sticks, they appear to be re-enacting the naval battle. The cobbler fingers some coins.

"The Polling": Voting often lasted for several days and took place on a platform known as a hustings. The polling or voting took place entirely in public for everyone to see. The first voter, who has hobbled to the left, is an old soldier with a peg leg, a hook for a hand, and an empty sleeve. The clerk recording this vote can barely conceal his laughter. Two attorneys on either side of the voter argue as to the vote's validity. The next voter, an idiot, sits in a chair gazing at nothing emptily. His escort whispers in his ear, telling him how to vote. Behind the idiot, we see a dying man borne by his caretakers. One of his caretakers has no nose; he has lost it to venereal disease. The next voter is a blind man led by a child. The two candidates sit in high chairs in the back of the hustings. One looks confident. The other takes off his wig to wipe off the perspiration. In the background, voters cross a bridge to reach the hustings. On the right, in the middle ground, two coachmen ignore their lady's pleas that they continue: they are too busy playing cards (and one is cheating).

"Chairing the Members": The triumphant Whigs carry their candidates, now MPs, through the streets of the town. Tell me, what do you see?

O the Roast Beef of Old England, or Calais Gate

Hogarth visited France a number of times and portrays it here in an unflattering light. In the background looms the gate from Calais' old city walls. Calais had actually belonged to England until the 16th century, and one can just make out the old English coat of arms in the sunlight beneath the cross atop the gate. In the left forgeround, a number of nuns gather around a ray and pray to it because they think they see the image of Christ. Behind them, a soldier struts about looking for someone to bully. In the center, a priest, the only fat person in the entire etching, admires a joint of roast beef that has been imported from Britain. Behind the butcher is a young, emaciated soldier drinking a watery broth. In the right foreground, a Catholic Scottish Highlander prays while a meager repast of onions sits beside him. A follower of Bonnie Prince Charlie, he has been exiled from Britain in the aftermath of the Stuart prince's defeat. In the left background, Hogarth has inserted himself drawing the gate. However, a pike looms behind him, and someone has placed his hand on Hogarth's shoulder. This action reflects an incident that occurred during one of Hogarth's visits to France—French authorities suspected him of being a spy because he was illustrating fortifications, so they arrested him.

The March to Finchley

Here, the British army marches out of London to confront Bonnie Prince Charlie. This scene is too busy for a thorough description, but it is worth taking note of the figures in the center foreground. A grenadier with a look of concentration stands between two women. The one on the left is young, attractive, and pregnant. She carries a basket full of pro-government propaganda (favoring the Hanoverian dynasty then on the throne). The woman on the right is old and gestures violently. She holds Jacobite newspapers that support the cause of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Stuart family. A Catholic, she is something of a repulsive figure. Survey the crowd and take notice of the little stories taking place everywhere. Then draw back and look at the overall scene. What was Hogarth trying to say about the British?