The Great Moth

John Doyle

1 July 1840

Lithographic engraving by Alfred Ducôte

12¾ x 9 ½ inches

Free standing print published by Thomas McLean

The assumed dignity of political leader is roundly mocked by Doyle in this zoomorphic image, with Sir Frederick Trench reduced to the level of a moth impotently drawn to the improved source of illumination he so wanted for the House. Doyle’s technique is a combination of absurdism and the mock-heroic, and sometimes, as here, has a nightmarish resonance.

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 image to enlarge it, and mouse over the text for links.]