Gillray’s prophetic image of Napoleon as a baker feverishly creating gingerbread monarchs expresses British anxiety over the emperor’s rapid conquest of continental Europe and his evident intent to install relatives and favorites in positions of power. Freshly baked kings of Bavaria, Württemburg, and Baden are withdrawn from the oven (ready to replace rulers defeated by the French at Austerlitz in December 1805) while a cluster of "True Corsican Kinglings" (Bonaparte relatives) occupy a wicker delivery basket at left. Acting as baker’s assistant, French Foreign Minister Tallyrand kneads up Poland, Hungary and Turkey. Discarded monarchs are consigned to the oven’s ash-hole by the "Corsican Broom of Destruction." The name Gillray gave Napoleon was borrowed from Tiddy-Dol Ford, a famous London street hawker who sold gingerbread in Mayfair.
Engraving after the original caricature by James Gillray. Re-engraved on a smaller copper plate by John Miller.
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 late 18th 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.
After Gillray's death, Miller and his Edinburgh-based publishing partner, William Blackwood, produced one of the major posthumous editions of Gillray's prints. The nine-volume set, titled The Caricatures of Gillray, was published between 1824 and 1827.
The Miller and Blackwood edition is unique because it was produced using new engravings rather than Gillray's original copper plates, a distinction from other posthumous collections.
The publisher offered different hand-coloring options for the prints, ranging from basic color washes to more detailed colouring.
