The Plumb-Pudding in Danger;–or–State Epicures Taking un Petit Souper

James Gillray|Hannah Humphrey

February 26, 1805 · Hand-colored etching · Drawings and Prints

Napoleon Bonaparte, declared emperor of France in 1804, and the English statesman William Pitt sit across a dining table, each carving out a piece from a plum pudding in the shape of the world. The diminutive Napoleon, rising from his seat in order to reach the table, hungrily takes Europe while Pitt carves a large slice of ocean, illustrating the respective areas of power in the ongoing war between Britain and France.

Artist

James Gillray|Hannah Humphrey

Date

February 26, 1805

Medium

Hand-colored etching

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Gift of Philip van Ingen, 1942