The Cad to the Man Wot Drives the Sovereign
William Heath ('Paul Pry') British
Publisher Thomas McLean British
Subject Sir Robert Peel British
Not on view
This cad, or coach conductor dressed in a soiled coat satrizes the politician Sir William Peel. A speech bubble says: "I turns my hand to any thing now. I ketches rats like winking." In 1829, Heath designed a series of prints focused on political figures who spearheaded the passage of the Catholic Emancipation Bill. Peel as "The Cad to the Man Wot Drives the Sovereign" appears as assistant to the Duke of Wellington (the prime minister who appears in related images as William IV's coach driver). The rats captured by Peel represent politicians who have tried to avoid voting for the bill. From 1827–29 Heath used the image of a little dandy holding an umbrella to sign prints. Seen here at lower left, the emblem refers to Paul Pry, a nosy character in an 1825 play by John Poole.