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THOMAS ROWLANDSON (1757-1827)
A general discharge, or the darling angel's finishing stroke.
13 Mar 1809RCIN 810755
This bawdy satire suggests the Duke is militarily incompetent. Mrs Clarke is shown spiking a large phallic cannon, that is, rendering it unusable by stopping up the touch-hole. The Duke kneels beside her bemoaning his fate. In the background, a group of soldiers flees a woman beating a drum to the ‘Rogues’ March’, the tune by which disgraced soldiers were drummed out of the army.
Cat. 76
Bibliographic reference(s)
BM Satires : Catalogue of political and personal satires preserved in the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum ... 11 v. in 12. BM Satires 11250
