Hogarth, William (1697 London 1764). The Invasion. The invasion army of Louis XV during embarkation against England in 1756, reinforced by water soup (ranks) and frogs (officer), all enthused for the standard, however, by the promise

“ VENGENCE  et  le  BON  BIER  et  BON  BEUF  de  ANGLETERRE ”

and by which the English soldiers and fresh recruits on the other side of the channel just support their defense powers. 2 sheet. Engravings by Thomas Cook (c. 1744 – London 1818). Inscribed: France (England) / Plate I(I.) / Designed by W. Hogarth / Engraved by T. Cook / (London) Published (June 1.^st 1798,) by G. G. & J. Robinson Pater(-)noster Row(, London/December 1.^st 1799). 32.7-33.8 x 40 cm.

France & England. – Impressions of fine chiaroscuro on strong paper. Beside slight touch of foxing in the text and white lower margin several spots in the lower subject of the England plate as well. – Cook “made a name for himself as Hogarth engraver, too, whose complete work he has engraved in copy” (Thieme-Becker) and whose original format he maintained contrary to all later Hogarth editions in his first, earlier edition. For some sheets not published by Hogarth himself Cook became their first engraver, just as he also gained approval of a contemporary connoisseur as Maximilian Speck von Sternburg.

“ With lanthern jaws and croaking gut / See how the half-starved Frenchmen strut / And call us English Dogs! / But soon we’ll teach these bragging Foes / That Beef & Beer give heavier blows / Than Soup & Roasted Frogs … ”

“ See John the Soldier, Jack the Tar … Should Mounsir dare come here! / The Hungry Slaves have smelt our Food / They long to taste our Flesh and Blood / Old England’s  Beef  and  Beer ! ”

Garrick’s verses set below of the engravings reflecting the situation of 1756 as

“ the mistress government of Louis XV (entertained) the innocent plan of a landing in England … Everything that is shown here was the common Englishman’s general conception of his neighbors in those days anyway … Who has seen the best-known cartoons of the time of 1792 till 1815 in the sequence, however, will very well recollect that in the generation following to Hogarth because of the war then John Bull no longer imagined the French as wretched skeletons and half-starved creatures ”

(Lichtenberg).
Offer no. 7,539 / EUR  504. / Export price EUR  479. (c. US$ 758.) + shipping

– – – The same in Hogarth’s own etchings in wide-margined impressions from the plates reworked by the royal engraver James Heath (1757 London 1834) about 1822

(“Even these impressions became relatively rare today though”, Art Gallery Esslingen 1970; and Meyers Konv.-Lex., 4^th ed., VIII [1888], 625: “A fine edition”). Inscribed: Desing’d & Etch’d by W.^m Hogarth / Plate 1.^st (2.^d) / Published according to Act of Parliament. March 8.^th 1756., otherwise as above. 32.2 x 38.5-39.2 cm. – Nagler 44-45. – Illustrations Hogarth Catalog Zurich, 1983, 84-85.
Offer no. 7,722 / EUR  302. / Export price EUR  287. (c. US$ 454.) + shipping

– – – The same in Cook’s popular later, smaller version. Inscribed: France (England). / Hogarth pinx.^t / T. Cook sculp.^t / Published by Longman, Hurst, Rees, & Orme, July 1^st. (Aug.^st 31.) 1807. Subject 14.1 x 17.1 cm. – Trimmed within the wide white platemark.
Offer no. 9,511 / EUR  92. (c. US$ 146.) + shipping

– – – The same in steel engraving about 1840. 12.7-13.2 x 15.3-15.5 cm. – Series title in German + English.
Offer no. 7,724 / EUR  71. (c. US$ 112.) + shipping

„ herzlichen Dank für die rasche und ausführliche Behandlung meiner Anfrage. Ich bestelle hiermit beide o. a. Gebote … bin ich auch mit Vorauszahlung einverstanden “

(Frau R. R., 20. November 2002)