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Satire & scandal: the printmakers who mocked Georgian society

Alice Loxton tells Ellie Cawthorne about the biting satire of Georgian printmakers, whose work pricked the pomposity of politicians and mocked the extravagance of the aristocracy

Published: March 10, 2023 at 9:33 AM

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Women blown up like balloons about to burst; leaders carving up the globe like a plum pudding; a drunken, bloated prince sprawled surrounded by unpaid invoices – the art of satirists like James Gillray, Thomas Rowlandson and Isaac Cruikshank gives us an unfiltered look at the preposterous highs and grisly lows of Georgian society. Alice Loxton tells Ellie Cawthorne how these artists pricked the pomposity of politicians, mocked the outlandish fashions of the aristocracy and gave the people of London a good laugh while doing so.

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Alice Loxton is the author of Uproar: Satire, Scandal and Printmakers in Georgian London (Icon Books, 2023)

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Authors

Ellie CawthorneHead of content (audio)

Ellie Cawthorne is head of content (audio) at HistoryExtra

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