Britannia – a comic / droll map of England and Wales by James Gillray, 1791

Description

“BRITANNIA”

A famous comic map of England & Wales by James Gillray, engraved and hand-coloured. It is one of the first known examples of humorous and satirical droll maps that appeared in the end of 18th century, depicting caricatured people in the forms of different nations. This print was published by Gillray’s mistress Hannah Humphreys in 1791, in London, and sold from her shop at N 18, Old Bond Street.

James Gillray (1756 – 1815) was a British caricaturist and print maker famous for his etched political and social satires, mainly published between 1792 and 1810. Gillray has been called “the father of the political cartoon”, with his works satirising George III, prime ministers and generals, as well as political events and English society.

Hannah Humphrey was the sister of a prominent 18th century English engraver William Humphrey and successful London print seller of the 18th century, significant in particular for being the publisher of much of James Gillray’s output. She started to sell prints from her brother’s address 227 Strand before moving to 18 Old Bond Street. James Gillray lodged with her for much of his working life, and she looked after him after his lapse into insanity around 1810 until his death in 1815.

This poster is a high quality “giclee” reproduction of the antique original, custom-printed on Standard Single-weight Matt Coated art paper 140gsm or  Heavyweight Matt Coated art paper 230gsm (more of a thin card density), or superb Epson Matt Canvas 320gsm, according to your choice. We use the latest UltraChromeHDX pigment inks which guarantee 60 years of colour  permanence (up to 200 years fade-proof for colour prints).  This poster is suitable for mounting and framing, as well as direct display on a wall.

IMPORTANT: If you are going to frame this print we recommend art paper 230gsm or canvas 320gsm . The 140gsm art paper option makes sense if you wish to DIY-frame or to tack the poster to a wall without framing, due to it being lighter and more flexible. All three options are giclee prints of the same high quality.

POSTER PRINT QUALITY

Please note that our reproduction posters are made to order and every print is checked before posting. The images we use in most cases are scans of antique originals, professionally restored in order to remove the most evident stains, folds, tears and other damage. We strive to balance the restoration and saving the overall integrity and antique appearance of the original. Our restored images are unique and these prints can be purchased only from www.VictorianMaps.com.

There will be no watermark on your image but there might be a white border depending on aspect ratio of the original. Please note that when a large antique original is reduced to a smaller size print some text may not be readable. Please check our measurements: every poster has its own aspect ratio same as original and printed exactly as pictured.