James Gillray

Gillray was a caricaturist born in Chelsea, London. He was born on August 13, 1756. During his life, Gillray worked in the military and belonged to the Moravian Brethren, “an extreme protestant sec” (Oxford Dictionary of National Biography). The Moravians were a rather dark group, this group truly accepted death to be a “welcome release from life’s afflictions” (Ibid). This however didn’t stop Gillray from working as an artist. Gillray’s first real drawing of a goldfinch shows his skill as an artist and the work is now preserved in the British Library. He completed this well-known drawing at the young age of twelve. Later on in his teenage years, Gillray worked under Harry Ashby as an apprentice. Under the supervision of Harry Ashby, James Gillray learned much about penmanship and engraving in general. He also went on to study under Francesco Bartolozzi, a well-known engraver at the Royal Academy School in London. Gillray was truly considered to be a caricaturist by the 1870’s. During this time period, caricature expanded including “jokes, distorted portraits, political and social satires” (Ibid). At the beginning of his career, Gillray was hesitant to work as a caricaturist because it paid significantly less in comparison to engraving. However, Gillray devoted himself to caricature and it paid off for him. He was an inventive artist, unlike any other artist of his period, he presented caricature, “in scenes of fantasy, parody, and burlesque” (Ibid).

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