Gillray Observed: The Earliest Account of his Caricatures in London und Paris

James Gillray, one of England’s best loved caricaturists, was an immensely successful and popular artist, yet there were no accounts of his work published in England during his lifetime. The single contemporary source on Gillray is a series of commentaries published in the German journal London und Paris between 1798 and 1806. Christiane Banerji and Diana Donald have now translated and edited selected commentaries, with accompanying illustrations, to reveal how Gillray’s art was understood by his contemporaries. The edition offers a unique insight into the role of satire in British politics during the Napoleonic era, and the subtle artistry of Gillray’s designs. The volume also includes an informative introduction which places Gillray and his work in the context of a fascinating episode in Anglo-German relations at the turn of the eighteenth century.