Tom Paine's Nightly Pest

December 10, 1792

Not on view

This satire comments on the British prosecution of Thomas Paine, who was then in France. On December 8, 1792 he was found guilty in absentia for libel in passages published in his "Rights of Man." Here, Paine sleeps wearing a cap of liberty, near a curtain decorated with fleur-de-lys. His headboard supports images of guardian angels Charles James Fox and Dr. Priestly, and the pillow is inscribed "Vive l'America." The author dreams of judicial wigs, a dungeon and a gibbet, and his coat pocket, lying across the bed, contains a copy of "Common Sense."

Artwork Details

Title: Tom Paine's Nightly Pest
Artist: James Gillray (British, London 1756–1815 London)
Publisher: Hannah Humphrey (British, ca. 1745–1819)
Subject: Thomas Paine (American (born England), Thetford, Norfolk 1737–1809 New York)
Subject: Charles James Fox (British, 1749–1806)
Subject: Joseph Priestley (British, 1733–1804)
Date: December 10, 1792
Medium: Etching and aquatint
Dimensions: plate: 11 9/16 x 14 3/8 in. (29.4 x 36.5 cm)
sheet: 14 1/8 x 18 7/8 in. (35.9 x 47.9 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Gift of William H. Huntington, 1883
Object Number: 83.2.985
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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