Today is election 24-hour interval , so permit ’s lionize with some election sense of humour , in the var. of William Hogarth ’s 1754 picture , " An Election Entertainment . " This complex picture , part one of a four - part series , has more than a few interesting bit !
1 . Depicting a Whig election banquet in the fictional British town of " Guzzledown , " the house painting contains two Whig campaigner at the left side of the mesa , under the flag bearing the Whig shibboleth of " Liberty and Loyalty . "
2 . One Whig nominee , dub " Sir Commodity Taxem , " has had his ring stolen by a little girl , while a reveler with a pipage is burn his hair . The other candidate is being assaulted by two drunks .
3 . The black banner on the floor reads " Give us back our 11 daytime , " a address to Britain ’s adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1752 . To adjust to the calendar , Wednesday , September 3 was followed by Thursday , September 14 , which left workers feeling as though they had been cheated out of 11 twenty-four hour period of reward .
4 . At least 3 men are hurt in the painting : a soldier whose familiar is filling his principal wounding with gin ; a man who has been struck by a brick throw through the window ; and the Lord Mayor , who has fleet out after eat on too many oysters and is now being bled by a physician .
5 . Several of William Hogarth ’s earlier serial publication were wide popular , and thus they were often commandeer . The Copyright Act of 1735 came about , in part , as a result of Hogarth ’s campaign against the profiteer .
6 . Hogarth ’s don ran an abortive Latin - verbalize umber house and , while Hogarth was still young , was imprisoned for five years in Fleet Prison for debt ; William Hogarth never discussed his don ’s imprisonment .
[ A big copy of " An Election Entertainment " is usable in theWeb Gallery of Art.]‘Feel Art Again ' appear every Tuesday and Thursday .
