Substitutes for Bread;–or–Right Honorables, Saving the Loaves, & Dividing the Fishes
Original title: Substitutes for Bread;–or–Right Honorables, Saving the Loaves, & Dividing the Fishes
kurzbeschreibung
The biblical feeding of the multitude serves as a foil for James Gillray's 1795 caricature: men indulge themselves at a lavishly set table while outside a waiting crowd studies an announcement. This hand-coloured print mocks British politics during the hunger crisis of that year, blending political allegory with coarse visual details.
Description
At a long table sit several gentlemen in historical dress before filled bowls, platters of meat, vegetables and bottles. A window reveals a gathered crowd and a notice. Two barrels stand beside the table, one labelled 'Treasury'. A poster on the wall proclaims 'Substitutes for Bread' and lists substitute foods. Muted tones dominate, with individual colour accents highlighting certain objects. The layout is symmetrical and draws the eye to the table and its food.
Context
On 24 December 1795, in the midst of a severe wave of inflation triggered by poor harvests and the wartime economy of the Napoleonic Wars, this caricature appeared. Gillray took up the so-called bread crisis, in which the government promoted substitutes for bread while high officials themselves lived in abundance. The print belongs to a series of political satires that Gillray produced for the publisher Hannah Humphrey. It targets the government of William Pitt the Younger and a war policy that aggravated the distress of the population.
Impact
A sharp contrast emerges between the lavish table and the hardship of those waiting outside. The symmetrical arrangement and emphasised details make the scene appear both grotesque and accusatory. The viewer is confronted directly with the social injustice of the time.
Technique
Hand-coloured etching: the lines were first etched and then painted with watercolours. Precise linework and strong colour accents are characteristic of Gillray's satirical prints. At about 24.6 x 34.8 cm, the sheet matches the usual format of political caricatures of the period.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)