Original antique engraving first published in 1803. This print is from the Bohn edition of 1851.
This is a famous satirical etching that caricatures Germans as gluttonous and unrefined. The artwork depicts a chaotic scene at a fictional German eating-house where several figures are savagely consuming large quantities of sauerkraut and sausages.
A group of men, with exaggerated features typical of Gillray's style, are seated around a circular table piled high with mounds of sauerkraut and sausages. The setting is described as unkempt, with a pile of dirty plates on the floor that a cat is licking, further emphasizing the lack of refinement.
The image includes specific details that add to the satirical commentary
A "Bill of Fare" on the wall lists only "Sour Krout" for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd course, and dessert. A picture on the wall shows pigs feeding from a trough, subtly equating the diners' behavior to that of animals and the tankards and plates are inscribed "Weyler Castle Street," likely referring to a real or fictional German establishment in London at the time.
Published on May 7, 1803, the print is a piece of British social and political satire. Gillray was a leading caricaturist of his time, often targeting national characteristics and political issues, especially during the Napoleonic Wars. This specific print likely reflects British attitudes and stereotypes toward Germans in the early 19th century, using the traditional dish of sauerkraut to humorously depict them as gluttonous and uncultured.
Gillray was one of five children, and the only one to survive to maturity. In 1770 he was apprenticed to Harry Ashby, a London writing in engraver, and five years later W. Humphrey published a few of Gillray's illustrations including satirical works. By the time Gillray commenced his career satire was old, but personal caricature was in its infancy. Other exponents in this form of art were soon overshadowed by Gillray's superior craftsmanship. His figures were full of vitality, titillating and reflective of some political crisis or private scandal. As his popularity increased so did demand by the public to see more of his work. In the rapidly changing politics of the late18th century he would produce a plate in twenty-four hours. Although sometimes overlooked his speech bubbles were elaborate and Gillray would spend considerable time composing and redrafting the text.
Between 1791 to 1807 his career continued successfully in association with William and Hannah Humphrey. There after Gillray's health began to suffer. He eventually slipped into madness and died shortly before the Battle of Waterloo on June 1st 1815. Hannah, who had a close relationship with him nursed Gillray through out his final years and following his death the copper plates then formed part of Hannah's estate when she died in 1818. The executor's of Hannah's estate sold Gillray's painstakingly worked plates for there second hand copper weight. Hearing of this, the then publisher, Bohn who had previously expressed an interest in buying the plates set about purchasing them from a variety of different sources. Eventually acquiring over 500. In 1851 Bohn republished the engravings in a large folio volume, "The Works of James Gillray".
