Catalogue Number
NMLH.1993.372.58
Object Name
Print
Title
'The Westminster Election of 1796'
Place
St Paul's Church, Covent Garden, London, UK
People
Charles James Fox, Horne Toke, Robert Dighton
Events
Elections, 1796 Westminster Election
Date
1796 ?
Description
A monochrome print by Robert Dighton showing a large crowd participating in election campaigning.
This images shows how elections were held in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. A large group, including women and children, gather around the hustings where candidates would give speeches. The children hand out election flyers, and women wear hats with political slogans on them including 'Fox Forever' referencing one of the candidates in the 1796 election, Charles James Fox. Working class people appear as ugly caricatures compared to the well dressed, upper class people on the hustings. Showing working class people as ugly may have been intended to indicate that they were too stupid to be allowed to participate in politics, as people at the time believed that physical appearance and intelligence were linked.
The Westminster Election was painted in 1796 by Robert Dighton (around 1752 â 1814). Dighton was an English artist who created mezzotint monochrome prints, maps, and caricature art.
*On Display*
Multimedia
