How cruel this unhappy prince to slaughter!
'Tis strange that Orange should have had no quarter!
State of the Crops.
[Illustration:
Abundant.
]
[Illustration:
Middling.
]
[Illustration:
Scarcity.
]
[Illustration:
Guy Fawkes treated Classically—An Unexhibited Cartoon
]
THE UNEXHIBITED CARTOON OF GUY FAWKES.
BY GEORGE CRUIKSHANK.
Having been advised by my friends to publish a sketch of my cartoon,
intended for exhibition at Westminster Hall, I think the public, upon
seeing it, will require some explanation of it. The subject has often
been treated, and sometimes rather ill-treated, by preceding artists.
Being forcibly struck by the grand classical style, I have aimed at it,
and I trust I have succeeded in hitting it. At all events, if I have not
quite come up to the mark, I have had a good bold fling at it.
The first thing I thought it necessary to think of (though, by-the-bye,
it is generally the last thing thought of in historical painting), was
to get a faithful portrait of the principal character. For that purpose
I determined to study nature, and strolled about London and the suburbs
on the 5th of November, in search of a likeness of Fawkes, caring little
under what Guys it might be presented to me. Unfortunately, some had
long noses and some had short; so, putting this and that together, the
long and the short of it is, that I determined on adopting a living
prototype, who has been blowing up both Houses of Parliament for several
years, and if not a Fawkes in other respects, is at least famous for
encouraging forking out on the part of others.
Having got over the preliminary difficulty, I set to work upon my
cartoon: and being resolved to make it a greater work than had ever
before been known, I forgot the prescribed size, for my head was far
above the consideration of mere feet, and I did not reflect, that where
Parliament had given an inch I was taking an ell, at the very lowest
estimate. Having strolled towards Westminster Hall to survey the scene
of my future triumphs, it struck me that I had carried the grand
classical to such a height as to preclude all chance of my cartoon being
got in through the doorway: and I, therefore, with the promptitude of a
Richard the Third, determined to "Off with his head," by taking a slice
off the top of the canvass. This necessary piece of execution rather
spoiled the design, but it enabled me to throw a heaviness into the
brows of my principal figure, which, if it marred the resemblance to
Fawkes, gave him an additional look of the Guy, at all events. It then
occurred to me that I might further diminish the dimensions by taking a
couple of feet off the legs; and this happy idea enabled me to carry out
the historical notion that Fawkes was the mere tool of others, in which
case, to cramp him in the understanding must be considered a nice
blending of the false in art with the true in nature. The Guy's feet
were accordingly foreshortened, till I left him, as he appeared when
trying to defend himself at his trial, with hardly a leg to stand upon.
Besides I knew I could fresco out his calves in fine style, when I once
got permission to turn the fruit of my labours into wall-fruit, on the
inside of the Houses of Parliament.
It will now be naturally asked, why my cartoon was not exhibited with
others, some of each were equally monstrous, in the Hall of Westminster.
The fact is, if the truth must out, the cartoon would not go in. Though
I had cramped my genius already to suit the views of the Commissioners,
and the size of the door, I found I must have stooped much lower if I
had resolved on finding admittance for my work. I wrote at once to the
Woods and Forests, calling upon them to widen the door for genius, by
taking down a portion of the wall: but it will hardly be believed, that
though there were, at the time, plenty of workmen about the building, no
answer was returned to my request. Alas! it is all very well to sing, as
they do in Der Frieschutz, "Through the Woods and through the Forests,"
but towards me the Woods and Forests proved themselves utterly
impenetrable.
It will be seen that the arch conspirator—for so I must continue to call
him, though he could not be got into the archway—has placed his hat upon
the ground, a little point in which I have blended imagination with
history, and both with convenience. The imagination suggests that such a
villain ought not to wear his hat; history does not say that he did,
which is as much as to hint that he didn't; while convenience coming to
the aid of both, renders it necessary for his hat to lie upon the
ground, for if I had tried to place it on his head, there would have
been no room for it. There was one gratifying circumstance connected
with this cartoon which, in spite of my being charged with vanity, I
must repeat. As it was carried through the streets it seemed to be
generally understood and appreciated, every one, even children,
exclaiming as it passed, "Oh! there's a Guy!"