‘Figurative representation of the late catastrophe!’ by John Doyle

[Victorian Web Home —> Visual Arts —> Illustration —> John Doyle —> Next]

The late catastrophe!

John Doyle

31August 1837

Lithographic engraving by Alfred Ducôte

12¾ x 9 ½ inches

Free standing print published by Thomas McLean

This print exemplifies Doyle’s use of visual metaphor to comment on topical events, a technique well-established in the art of Gillray and Rowlandson. [Commentary continues below.]

Text by Simon Cooke; image reproduced under the terms of the Creative Commons licence from the collection in the National Portrait Gallery, London [Click on the image to enlarge it, and mouse over the text for links.]

The print shows Hume’s losing of his Middlesex seat in the General Election of 1837 – only to be given, after Daniel O’Connell’s intervention, another seat in Kilkenny; this was regarded as a veritable falling from the political sky, a ‘catastrophe.’ The image also displays Doyle’s feeble draughtsmanship and limited powers of composition: his prints conveyed ideas, but were worthless aesthetically, and have none of the rude vigour of Gillray. The grey tones of the lithographic medium add nothing, although Doyle did issue some of his prints in colour.

Created 3 November 2023