From Sir William Hamilton's Collection

May 8, 1801
Not on view
This caricature of Admiral Horatio Nelson gives the subject a vase-shaped body and shows him from behind, standing upon a chipped base. His wig has been turned into the lid. The image was once thought to represent William Hamilton but recent scholarship has convincingly established that it actually shows Nelson, who was a close friend of Hamilton's and became the lover of the latter's wife, Lady Emma Hamilton.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: From Sir William Hamilton's Collection
  • Artist: James Gillray (British, London 1756–1815 London)
  • Publisher: Hannah Humphrey (British, ca. 1745–1819)
  • Subject: Horatio Nelson, Viscount Nelson (British, Burnham Thorpe 1758–1805 at sea)
  • Subject: Sir William Hamilton (British, London or Remenham 1731–1803 London)
  • Date: May 8, 1801
  • Medium: Hand-colored etching
  • Dimensions: sheet: 10 3/16 x 8 1/16 in. (25.8 x 20.5 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gift of Philip van Ingen, 1942
  • Object Number: 42.121(76)
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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