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The State Watchman Discovered by the Genius of Britain Studying Plans for the Reduction of America

Attributed to Thomas Rowlandson British
Publisher J. Jones British
December 10, 1781
Not on view
Rowlandson's name does not appear on this print, but the scholar Dorothy George attributed it to him on the basis of style. The image responds to the British surrender at Yorktown, Virginia, effectively ending the American Revolutionary War. Either George III (or his prime minister Lord North) dozes at center on a sofa near the alarmed figure of Britannia who asks, "Am I thus Protected?" If the sleeper is North, the small man who says "Hello Neighbour! what are you asleep" may represent Sir Grey Parole, designated to sit next to North in Parliament and wake the minister during long debates, if he dozed off.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The State Watchman Discovered by the Genius of Britain Studying Plans for the Reduction of America
  • Artist: Attributed to Thomas Rowlandson (British, London 1757–1827 London)
  • Publisher: J. Jones (British, active 1777–81)
  • Date: December 10, 1781
  • Medium: Etching
  • Dimensions: oval image: 5 9/16 x 5 1/4 in. (14.1 x 13.4 cm)
    sheet: 7 11/16 x 6 5/8 in. (19.5 x 16.8 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gift of William H. Huntington, 1883
  • Object Number: 83.2.2096
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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The Sailor's Return from Active Service, Thomas Rowlandson British, Watercolor
The Sailor's Return from Active Service
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Departure of Blanchard and Jeffries' Balloon from Dover, January 7, 1785
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Ships and Sailors, Thomas Rowlandson British, Watercolor
Ships and Sailors
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