Gillray, James (1756 – 1815) – ‘”The Friend of the people” & his Petty-New-Tax-Gatherer, paying John Bull a visit’.

'"The Friend of the people" & his Petty-New-Tax-Gatherer, paying John Bull a visit'. Hand coloured etching. 'Pubd May 28th 1806 by H. Humphrey 27 St James's Street'. A satire on Petty's tax rising budget. Fox and Petty knock on John Bull's door to collect taxes, their open book listing the new measures. John Bull with his dependants around him, shouts from the window 'Taxes? Taxes? Taxes? why how am I to get Money to pay them all? I shall very soon have neither a House, nor Hole to put my head in'. Fox replies, 'a house to put your head in? - why what the Devil should you want with a House? ...'. Above John Bull's door is a sign reading 'John Bull, late dealer in the Shop below, lately Moved Upstairs' and between the heads of Fox and Petty can be seen a sign on the shuttered window of the shop reading 'This Shop to Let, Enquire of the Tax Gatherers'. The window above this has been bricked up to escape the famous window tax. To the right street urchins drink from a water pump labelled 'New Brewery For the Benefit of the Poor' and to the left of the composition stands a barrel labelled 'Home Brew'd Small Beer ten Shillings a Barrel Duty'. Both reference the new taxation of home brewing introduced in the Budget. In the background is a pawnbrokers called 'Broad-Bottom Pop-Shop'. Bags of money can be seen in the windows and a cart ('New Tax Cart') laden with belongings stands outside. 13.5x9.5 inches.