THE STATE NURSES.

DateOctober 1, 1781

After work by Viscount Marquis Townshend

Publisher Thomas Colley

OriginEngland, London

MediumBlack and white line engraving

DimensionsTrimmed to plate, H: 7" X W: 10 1/2"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1960-94

DescriptionTitle reads: "THE STATE NURSES"
Label TextSleeping peacefully in a cradle rocked by Mansfield and Sandwich, the state nurses, the British lion is tucked safely under a rose-and-thistle-embossed blanket, symbolic of the increased influence of Scottish leaders on the crown. The lion is oblivious to the dogs, England's enemies, who bark out their various demands. Spain claims Gibraltar, Minorca, and Florida; France wants Barbados, Jamaica, Jersey, and so on; America, a black dog befouling the Tea Act bill, demands independence and no taxation; Holland proclaims neutrality and free navigation. The nurses attempt to shoo the howling animals away.

To the left rear, the 1780 battle in which England wrested control of Gibraltar from Spain occurs, while on the right George III hunts deer at Windsor Castle. The satirist emphasizes the king's lack of interest in government affairs, which is why England needs "nurses".

This copy is published in Joan D. Dolmetsch, "Rebellion and Reconciliation: Satirical Prints on the Revolution at Williamsburg" (Williamsburg, VA: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1976), plate 75, p. 162.