A New Way to Pay the National-Debt
1786
Medium
etching and engraving on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 42.8 × 52.2 cm (16 7/8 × 20 9/16 in.) sheet: 46.6 × 55.5 cm (18 3/8 × 21 7/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
2013.170.2
Art Historical Context
**A New Way to Pay National-Debt** (1786) by Jamesray exemplifies the sharp-witted political satire that defined late 18th-century Britishmaking. This etching and engraving on laid paper, with a plate size of 42.8 × 52.2 cm, was crafted during a time of economic strain for Britain, following the costly American War of Independence. Gillray a master caricaturist often called the "father of the political cartoon," used his intricate line work to produce affordable, widely circulated prints that lampooned the powerful. The provocative title alludes to the nation's ballooning debt—over £250 milli...