Tiddy-Doll, the Great French-Gingerbread-Baker; Drawing Out a New Batch of Kings, His Man Hopping Talley, Mixing Up the Dough
Gillray’s prophetic image of Napoleon as a baker feverishly creating gingerbread monarchs expresses British anxiety over the emperor’s rapid conquest of continental Europe and his evident intent to install relatives and favorites in positions of power. Freshly baked kings of Bavaria, Württemburg, and Baden are withdrawn from the oven (ready to replace rulers defeated by the French at Austerlitz in December 1805) while a cluster of "True Corsican Kinglings" (Bonaparte relatives) occupy a wicker delivery basket at left. Acting as baker’s assistant, French Foreign Minister Tallyrand kneads up Poland, Hungary and Turkey. Discarded monarchs are consigned to the oven’s ash-hole by the "Corsican Broom of Destruction." The name Gillray gave Napoleon was borrowed from Tiddy-Dol Ford, a famous London street hawker who sold gingerbread in Mayfair.
Artwork Details
- Title: Tiddy-Doll, the Great French-Gingerbread-Baker; Drawing Out a New Batch of Kings, His Man Hopping Talley, Mixing Up the Dough
- Artist: James Gillray (British, London 1756–1815 London)
- Publisher: Hannah Humphrey (British, ca. 1745–1819)
- Date: January 23, 1806
- Medium: Hand-colored etching
- Dimensions: sheet: 10 1/4 x 15 1/16 in. (26 x 38.3 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of Philip van Ingen, 1942
- Object Number: 42.121(95)
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.