The American Rattle Snake
Attributed to James Gillray British
Published London by William Richardson British
Not on view
This satirical print, perhaps one of Gillray's earliest, uses a snake--a popular American symbol before the invention of the emblematic stars and stripes. The coils here surround two military camps with text below that states, "Two British Armies I have thus Burgoyn'd, And room for more I've got behind." A sign on the serpent's tail reads, "An Apartment to lett for Military Gentlemen," referring to the recent surrender of Generals Burgoyne and Cornwallis to the Americans.
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