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Unseen Histories

John Wilkes Esq by William Hogarth, 1763

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    £30.00
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    Archival Giclée Art Print

    Certificate of Authenticity

    One Tree One Print Commitment

    Open Edition

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    Collectible museum-grade fine art print, hand-printed in England and individually finished with a monogram emboss. Each sale directly supports the artisan. Listed dimensions include a white border for easy framing.


    ABOUT THIS PRINT

    John Wilkes’s career in the 1760s was extraordinary. He began the decade as the anonymous MP for Aylesbury. If he was known for anything at all, it was for his dissolute private life. He loved ladies and drinking and political mischief. In 1762 he came to prominence through his wickedly satirical pieces that appeared (unsigned) in the journal the North Briton. These so enraged the ministry that they decided to bring a charge of seditious libel against him. In April 1763 Wilkes was arrested in scandalous circumstances and sent to the Tower of London. This only increased his celebrity and when he was released, he was viewed as a hero of British liberty. Famously ugly, this print was produced by Hogarth as an attack piece. Hogarth had himself been the victim of Wilkes’s satire, and in this widely circulated print he took his revenge. He depicted Wilkes as a gentleman with the face, and heart, of a devil. – Peter Moore

    Published: May 16th, 1763
    Artist: Wiliam Hogarth
    Remaster: 
    Joshua Barrett
    Original Format: 
    Etching and engraving
    Commercial Use: 
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    PRINT CREDENTIALS

    Presented on 310gsm Hahnemühle German Etching®; a traditional mould-made copperplate printing paper, characterised by its extraordinary velvety tactile feel and its fine, clearly defined felt structure.

    ORIGINAL CAPTION

    "Drawn from the Life and Etch'd in Aquafortis by Willm. Hogarth/Price 1 Shilling./Publish'd according to Act of Parliament May ye 16. 1763."

    John Wilkes Esq by William Hogarth, 1763
    John Wilkes Esq by William Hogarth, 1763
    John Wilkes Esq by William Hogarth, 1763
    John Wilkes Esq by William Hogarth, 1763

    LIFE, LIBERTY & HAPPINESS

    Part of a Limited Edition collaboration with author Peter Moore

    To mark the release of his new book 'Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness', bestselling historian Peter Moore has worked with us in curating a collection of fine-art prints inspired by the hidden roots of the Declaration of Independence, and has signed an exclusive Ex Libris edition of his book, only available through Unseen Histories.

    The Collection