The depiction of the British constitution in caricature, 1784-1819

There is a different, important but underexplored source of British constitutional meaning and history: visual, satirical caricature, that is, pictures – prints – that give us an account of the past. They allow those with an interest in the constitution and political machinations to see how these events were depicted by witnesses to what was then breaking news. The caricatures were never a truly accurate representation. They were intended to convey particular viewpoints, often satirical and humourous. Such prints often reflected the views of those who paid for them to be created and published or the artist’s own political views. Alternatively, the prints were produced because the artist believed they would sell well. A print critical of Charles James Fox might sell more copies than one depicting William Pitt the Younger. Irrespective, such caricatures embody important constitutional meaning and deserve to be revisited. To this end, this chapter takes five prints published between 1784 and 1819 during the reign of George III and examines them as leading works of the constitution, which provide considerable insight into the constitution. The caricatures represent how the population may have engaged with and understood the representation of contemporary constitutional events. Today, these prints, and many others remain a visible legacy of the past and are still easily recognisable, and the most famous are often imitated by contemporary cartoonists to make a point.