Ships, Crews, and Commanders in the War of 1812 - Gallery
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Originally published by MHQ magazine.
Published Online: August 28, 2009 |
Picture 7 of 7
This 1814 cartoon pokes fun at Great Britain, represented by the fictional character known as John Bull, who is cooking up some more ships and guns to augment the Royal Navy after serious losses against the United States in 1813 and 1814. [Library of Congress]
Read about U.S. Secretary of the Navy William Jones's strategy to defeat the British in 1812 in Stephen Budiansky's "Giant Killer," MHQ Spring 2009.
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There are two interesting footnotes to this cartoon …
Firstly whilst John Bull had been in existence since 1712, he had never been depicted wearing a crown. In England, he was firmly middle class in origin, not aristocratic or royal.
Secondly, the 'John Bull' depicted here bears some similarity to King George III, though by this time the King was no longer at the helm, having been debilitated permanently by porphyria-induced madness and then dementia. 1814 fell nearly midway through the Regency period (1810-1820).