‘Bold Liberals Who Fought for the Cause of Freedom’: The German Reception of the Graphic Satires of James Gillray and Thomas Rowlandson at the Fin De Siècle (1895–1908)

Matthew C Potter

doi:10.1080/14714787.2019.1620122

Abstract

This article explores the reception of the work of James Gillray and Thomas Rowlandson in Germany in the long nineteenth century, within the contexts of evolving art historical studies and nationalist cultural policies during the period. The German-language art historical writings of fin-de-siècle critics (two from Germany – Richard Muther and Hans Wolfgang Singer – and two from the Low Countries – Charles Polydore de Mont and Jan Veth) demonstrate how these authors used historical examples of British graphic satire to promote modern liberal agendas of protest and internationalism in opposition to the narrow nationalism of the Prussian-led Kaiserreich (the German Empire, 1871–1918).

Highlights

‘Bold Liberals Who Fought for the Cause of Freedom’: The German Reception of the Graphic Satires of James Gillray and Thomas Rowlandson at the Fin De Siecle (1895–1908)
Huttner announced the four key characteristics that contributed to Gillray’s pre-eminence: the artist’s ability to make literary references; his allegorical knowledge; his facility in creating accurate and recognizable portraits; and his ‘constant regard for the true essence of caricature’ which together contributed to his works attaining ‘high art’ qualities.9. At this initial stage of the German reception, Reverend Frederick Wendeborn, a London-based pastor to a German congregation, felt that British graphic satire appealed to earlynineteenth-century Germans, owing to the generic humour they 174 bold liberals who fought for the cause of freedom contained rather than because of their specific lampooning of British celebrities and politicians
178 bold liberals who fought for the cause of freedom was uneven: of the monographic works Muther listed on the Napoleonic British caricaturists, Rowlandson was the focus of only two, while Gillray was represented by none, with Thomas Wright’s The Works of James Gillray (1873) a prominent omission

Summary

Visual Culture in Britain

ISSN: 1471-4787 (Print) 1941-8361 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rvcb. ‘Bold Liberals Who Fought for the Cause of Freedom’: The German Reception of the Graphic Satires of James Gillray and Thomas Rowlandson at the Fin De Siècle (1895–1908).

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Conclusion