18 Facts About James Gillray

James Gillray was a British caricaturist and printmaker famous for his etched political and social satires, mainly published between 1792 and 1810.

James Gillray's father had served as a soldier: he lost an arm at the Battle of Fontenoy and was admitted, first as an inmate and subsequently as an outdoor pensioner, at Chelsea Hospital.

James Gillray commenced life by learning letter-engraving, at which he soon became adept.

James Gillray's caricatures are almost all in etching, some with aquatint, and a few using stipple technique.

James Gillray lived with Miss Humphrey during the entire period of his fame.

One of James Gillray's prints, "Twopenny Whist", is a depiction of four individuals playing cards, and the character shown second from the left, an ageing lady with eyeglasses and a bonnet, is widely believed to be an accurate depiction of Miss Humphrey.

James Gillray's plates were exposed in Humphrey's shop window, where eager crowds examined them.

Unable to work to his previous high standards, James Gillray became depressed and started drinking heavily.

In July 1811 Gillray attempted to kill himself by jumping out of an attic window above Humphrey's shop in St James's Street.

James Gillray is not to be thought of as a keen political adherent of either the Whig or the Tory party; his caricatures satirized members of all sides of the political spectrum.

The times in which James Gillray lived were peculiarly favourable to the growth of a great school of caricature.

James Gillray is distinguished in the history of caricature by the fact that his sketches are real works of art.

The historical value of James Gillray's work has been recognized by many discerning students of history.

James Gillray's caricatures are generally divided into two classes, the political series and the social, though it is important not to attribute to the term "series" any concept of continuity or completeness.

Auction prices for James Gillray's work have increased since the 1970s.

Since 2002, annual auctions of caricatures at Bonhams in London, each of which included large selections of James Gillray prints, have continued this trend.

Hand-coloured etching by James Gillray, depicting the use of Perkins' Tractors.

James Gillray is still revered as one of the most influential political caricaturists of all time, and among the leading cartoonists on the political stage in the United Kingdom today, both Steve Bell and Martin Rowson acknowledge him as probably the most influential of all their predecessors in that particular arena.