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Description
One of several prints by George Cruikshank satirizing the unhappy union of George IV and Queen Caroline. Here, Cruikshank depicts the king and queen as pear-shaped green bags, an allusion to the common use of green bags to carry legal or official papers. When the king sent Parliament evidence of the queen's questionable moral conduct, the queen's counselor, Henry Peter Broughman is credited with responding, "if the King had a Green Bag the Queen might have one too;" that is, evidence of the king's moral misconduct might be gathered easily. Cruikshank playfully credits Broughman with the idea for the caricature (Broom invt). The title derives from lyrics in Richard Brinsley Sheridan's comic opera, The Duenna. Catalogue Raisonne: Reid 957; Douglas 843; Cohn 877; British Museum 13735 Inscription: Recto, in plate below design, "Broom invt G. Cruikshank fect" at l.l.; "Pubd by G. Humphrey 27 St James's Street / June 23 1820" at l.r.; Verso, Vogler's stamp in black ink at l.r.
Caricatures; monarchy; George IV, King of Great Britain, 1762-1830; Caroline Amelia Elizabeth, Queen, Consort of George IV, King of Great Britain, 1768-1821
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