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William Hogarth. Print of John Wilke's Esqr.

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:500.00 USD Estimated At:1,000.00 - 2,000.00 USD
William Hogarth. Print of John Wilke's Esqr.
<Our item number 140988><B>William Hogarth. Print of &#34;John Wilke&#39;s Esqr.&#34;</B> A Choice Proof Impression, 14 x 9 in. plate; 24 x 19 in. including the wide margins. The uncolored etching is titled &#34;John Wilke&#39;s Esqr.&#34; This is an undated, later printing from the original plate, the original being &#34;Drawn from the Life and Etch&#39;d in Aquafortis by Willm. Hogarth/ Publish&#39;d according to Act of Parliament May ye 16. 1763.&#34; A few minor stains in the extreme margin and some minor foxing do not affect the image. Wilkes was a member of the British Parliament who published an opposition newspaper, &#34;The North Briton,&#34; and pushed the boundaries of freedom of speech in Great Britain. In the etching, Wilkes holds a pole with a &#34;Liberty&#34; bell, and two important issues of his paper lie on a table beside him. In No. 45, Wilkes had accused George III of lying about the treaty which ended the Seven Years War, prompting Wilkes&#39; arrest and his being charged with seditious l ibel. When the judge ruled that members of Parliament could not be charged with libel, the cry of &#34;Wilkes and Liberty!&#34; erupted in Britain and crossed the ocean to America. Wilkes was a hero to Americans; they closely followed his pronouncements in his newspaper, his exile to France, his subsequent return and election to Parliament, his expulsion by George III and the London riots which followed--all of his trials and tribulations with the British government. Wilkes stiffened the backbone of American resistance to British demands. William Hogarth was a well-known English painter and engraver, who is chiefly remembered as a creator of satirical narrative pictures, such as this etching of John Wilkes. <BR>Estimated Value &#36;1,000 - 2,000. <BR><BR>Our item number 140988<BR><IMAGES><P ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://www.goldbergcoins.net/liveauction/49jpegs/140988.jpg"> </P></IMAGES>