James Gillray, Lieutenant Govenor Gall-Stone, inspired by Alecto; -or- The Birth of Minerva. The British Museum

The target of this print was a man named Philip Thicknesse (1719-92), who was an early friend and biographer of the painter Thomas Gainsborough, but who was also notorious as an ardent supporter of the slave trade, a blackmailer, a lecher and a sadist. He was also a prolific writer, but his work was, like his character, motivated by greed and malice.

Click on any of any of the eight hidden areas in the image above to find out more about the print.

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