The State Tinkers

The State Tinkers is a good example of both caricature's and Gillray's transition away from the emblem tradition. Like a traditional emblem, there are three component to the print: the title, a symbolic or allegorical image, and an explanation. The meaning is derived from applying the title and the explanation to the image.

In this case, however, the image is not a traditional one with a well worn history, but simply an apt comparison which Gillray has created to make a political point: the nation is like a kettle and the ministers charged with its maintenance are like inept tinkers, doing more damage than good. The explanation, far from serious, has the jauntiness of a popular song. And again unlike traditional emblems, there are portraits of specific individuals that restrict its application to a specific set of ministers at a specific moment in time.

The print is transitional in Gillray's work as well. The influence of John Hamilton Mortimer is still apparent in the style and execution of the print, and the portraits of Lord Sandwich, Lord Germain, Lord North, Bute, and George III are only partly caricatured.

Sources and Reading

• Commentary from the British Museum on The State Tinkers

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