An election riot. In the foreground sheridan (left) stands over sir sampson wright who kneels on the ground in abject alarm. Sheridan holds him by the collar and shakes his fist in his face; from his pocket protrudes a paper inscribed 'drury lane'. On the right is a party of guards, one pierces with his bayonet fox's posterior, drawing blood. Fox, the central figure, prances in pain and alarm, his hat falling off. Behind, townshend (?) and burke hold up their hands in shocked surprise. One of the guards deliberately pierces with his bayonet the posterior of his own officer, a lean foppish man resembling the officer in bmsat 7174. The other guards (right) carrying muskets against their shoulders watch both outrages with amusement. Behind sheridan and on the extreme left is a man holding up a banner, inscribed 'valiant townsend', on which are a wine-bottle and glass and a dice-box and dice. In the background is a dense crowd represented by heads and by hats, two of which are being waved in the air. Beneath the design is etched:
'when sampson as justice - by soldiers defended,
went to quell wicked whigs who've mild peace oft offended,
bold brindsley seiz'd on him, & swore he'd well shake him,
crying, justice ne'er did, nor e'er should overtake him. Bow, wow, wow
sampson down on his knees like a saint at devotion,
drops his jaw-bone, - while f-x seconds brindleys mad motion
the guards do their duty - prick charles - he beseeches
and alarm'd, then let's fly - thro' his sad sattin breeches,
bow wow wow. ' july 1788
etching and aquatint. Date: 1788. Dimensions: Height: 249 mm; Width: 347 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: Edmund Burke. Collection: British Museum. The battle of bow-street. (BM 1851,0901.417)
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