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The Present State of Great Britain

Publisher William Humphrey British
1779
Not on view
Issued in London at the height of the American Revolution, this print summarizes the situation in 1779 from Britain’s point of view. As in traditional allegories, the figures represent specific nations, but their dramatic interaction anticipates the new kind of satire soon to come from Rowlandson and Gillray. John Bull stands at the center as an inattentive military volunteer dozing against a staff topped with Britannia’s attribute, the cap of Liberty. He is being attacked from all sides. An Indian, traditional emblem of America, takes Liberty’s cap in a reference to the Declaration of Independence by the Thirteen Colonies in 1776. A Dutch toper slyly steals John Bull’s purse while France is represented by an emaciated dandy restrained by a rugged Highlander, a reminder that Scottish volunteers helped make up for the British army’s poor state of preparation.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Present State of Great Britain
  • Artist: James Phillips (British, active 1779–1809)
  • Publisher: William Humphrey (British, 1742?–in or before 1814)
  • Published in: London
  • Date: 1779
  • Medium: Etching
  • Dimensions: sheet: 11 7/16 x 16 3/4 in. (29 x 42.5 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gift of William H. Huntington, 1883
  • Object Number: 83.2.982
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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