Four designs, each with a title, the plate divided into four quarters. [1] 'john bull happy'. A cottage interior: john bull, a stout countryman with wrinkled gaiters as in bmsat 7889, 8141, dozes serenely in an arm-chair before a blazing fire, holding a pitcher on his knee. Behind (left), his wife sits spinning; two little boys feed a bird in a wicker cage. A pretty young woman approaches the open door with a milk-pail on her head. Brass utensils are ranged on the chimney-piece, beside which is a roasting-jack with wheel and chain. A well-fed cat and dog sleep amicably by the fire. [2] 'john bull going to the wars'. John bull has enlisted and marches off (left to right) beside a file of soldiers with drawn sabres, the man next him blowing a bugle. He marches with awkward energy, gazing proudly in profile to the right, not to see his wife and children (left), who cling to him, weeping. He holds a musket and is dressed as in [1], with the addition of a grenadier's cap and bandolier. Behind (left) is a corner of his cottage. [3] 'john bull's property in danger'. John bull's wife, followed by her three children, approaches the stone gateway of the treasury, its iron gate open, the three balls of a pawnbroker above it, the inscription 'money lent by authority'. Beside it are two bills: 'wanted a number of recruits to serve abroad' and 'list of bankrupts john bull'. The woman carries her spinning-wheel and a bundle of household goods; the smallest boy, holding his mother's petticoat, carries the bird-cage; the girl carries the churn and a bowl. The elder boy carries spade, rake, and pitchfork (a kettle slung to the prongs) and leads a pig. [4] 'john bull's glorious return'. A gaunt, one-legged, and one-eyed soldier (right), in tattered uniform, limps on crutches into a miserable hovel in which his starving family crouch over a fire lit on the hearth. The little boy clutches a bare bone; onions and a broken dish are on the floor (cf. Bmsat 8145). Mother and sons are ragged and emaciated, the daughter has a certain youthful grace. They look with frightened astonishment at their almost unrecognizable father. 3 june 1793
hand-coloured etching. Date: 1793. Dimensions: Height: 378 mm; Width: 304 mm. Medium: paper. Collection: British Museum. John Bulls Progress (BM 1851,0901.654)
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