The Reply: A Complimentory [sic] Hieroglyphic Epistle from the Honorable Henry Laurens to Lord George Gordon

Henry Laurens|Anonymous, British, 18th century

1781 · Etching · Drawings and Prints

This satire takes the form of a rebus letter written by Henry Laurens (1724-1792), a native of Charleston, South Carolina, sent as ambassador to the Netherlands by the Continental Congress. He was captured en route in 1779, off Newfoundland, tried for treason, thrown overboard then recovered. On October 6, 1781 became the first and only American ever imprisoned in the Tower of London, released on December 31 in exchange for Lord Cornwallis following the latter's surrender at Yorktown.

Artist

Henry Laurens|Anonymous, British, 18th century

Date

1781

Medium

Etching

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Gift of William H. Huntington, 1883