Président d’Administration Municipale is the fifth plate in a famous series of 12 hand-coloured etchings by the British caricaturist James Gillray, titled "Habits of New French Legislators, and other Public Functionaries", first published on 18 April 1798
The series satirised prominent members of theWhig oppositionin Britain by depicting them in the elaborate ceremonial robes designed by Jacques-Louis David for the officials of the French Directory. The intent was to mock the Whigs by associating them with French Revolutionary radicalism.
In this specific plate, the radical politician and philologistJohn Horne Tookeis portrayed as the "President of Municipal Administration".
Tooke is shown standing behind a table covered in green cloth, pointing sternly with a severe expression.
He wears a black suit with a tricolour scarf and a round hat featuring a tricolour feather. The background includes revolutionary symbols such as the Declaration of the Rights of Man (Droit de l’Homme), a tricolour flag, and fasces.
Gillray originally designed this plate to feature Richard Brinsley Sheridan. However, at the request of George Canning (acting for the government), Gillray replaced Sheridan's head with Tooke's just days after publication.
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".
