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Cartoon, The... High Price of Provisions
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Cartoon, The... High Price of Provisions
Cartoon, The Real Cause of the present High Price of Provisions, or, a View on the Sea Coast of England with French Agents smuggling away Supplies for France. Showing Charles James Fox, Richard Brinsley Sheridan and Whig landowners selling flour and livestock to the French, who are suffering a food shortage due to a naval blockade towards the end of the French Revolution. Date: 1795
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Media ID 14230223
© The Sharp Illustration Collection / Mary Evans Picture Library
1790s 1795 Agents Blockade Brinsley Cattle Criticism Flour Gillray Harsh Livestock Money Present Price Provisions Real Revolution Satire Selling Sheridan Shortage Smuggling Supplies Whig Landowners
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EDITORS COMMENTS
The High Price of Provisions: A Harsh Satire of the Time (The Real Cause of the Present High Price of Provisions, or, a View on the Sea Coast of England with French Agents Smuggling Away Supplies for France, 1795) This powerful and provocative political cartoon by James Gillray, titled "The Real Cause of the Present High Price of Provisions," offers a biting commentary on the economic and political situation in England during the late 1790s. The image depicts a bustling scene on the English coast, where French agents are shown smuggling away supplies, including flour and livestock, to alleviate the food shortage in France, which was suffering under a naval blockade. The cartoon's central figures are Charles James Fox and Richard Brinsley Sheridan, two prominent Whig politicians, who are seen selling flour and livestock to the French agents. The Whig landowners, represented as greedy capitalists, are shown profiting from the suffering of their own people and their enemies. The British navy, symbolized by a ship in the background, is powerless to prevent the smuggling, highlighting the ineffectiveness of the naval blockade. The cartoon's harsh criticism of the Whig politicians and landowners for exploiting the food crisis for financial gain was a common theme in the satirical cartoons of the time. The image also underscores the political tensions between Britain and France during the French Revolution, as well as the economic challenges faced by the British people. The use of animals, such as cattle and sheep, adds to the visual richness of the cartoon and emphasizes the tangible impact of the food shortage on everyday life. Overall, "The Real Cause of the Present High Price of Provisions" is a poignant and thought-provoking commentary on the complex political and economic realities of the late 18th century.
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