James Gillray

A lavishly illustrated biography of James Gillray, inventor of the art of political caricature James Gillray (17561815) was late Georgian Britains funniest, most inventive, and most celebrated graphic satirist and continues to influence cartoonists today. His exceptional drawing, matched by his flair for clever dialogue and amusing titles, won him unprecedented fame; his sophisticated designs often parodied artists such as William Hogarth, Joshua Reynolds, and Henry Fuseli, while he borrowed and wittily redeployed celebrated passages from William Shakespeare and John Milton to send up politicians in an ageas nowwhere society was fast changing, anxieties abounded, truth was sometimes scarce, and public opinion mattered. Tim Claytons definitive biography explores Gillrays life and work through his friends, publishersthe most important being womenand collaborators, aiming to identify those involved in inventing satirical prints and the people who bought them. Clayton thoughtfully explores the tensions between artistic independence, financial necessity, and the conflicting demands of patrons and self-appointed censors in a time of political and social turmoil. Distributed for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art