‘The Harpies Attacking the Daughters of Pandarus (after Flaxman)’ (15 July1848). A lithographic design drawn by John Doyle and engraved by Alfred Ducôte for the print publisher, Thomas McLean. 9½ x 12 ¾ inches. In a well-executed design, Doyle depicts Bentinck, Disraeli and Lord Stanley attacking Lord John Russell, Lord Grey and Hawes for suppressing documents related to the debate examining the passing of the Sugar Duties Act (1846). Doyle also parodies Flaxman’s line-drawing of the mythological scene as depicted in his version ofThe Iliad (1793). The use of literary and pictorial allusion to satirize an event is a key characteristic of his work.
Text by Simon Cooke. Scan reproduced from the collection in the National Portrait Gallery, London, under the terms of the Creative Commons licence.
Created 15 November 2023