How Very Droll: British Caricature

The Golden Age of English satire spanned the 1700s into the 1800s.  In eighteenth century Britain, the noun droll, now fallen out of use, was used to designate social satire. The satirists ridiculed individuals, groups and institutions implying moral judgement. 

William Hogarth (1697-1764) is considered the father of English caricature.  His moral subjects like Beer Street and Gin Lane are powerful satires on social ills and advocated for social reform.  For the generation of satirists that followed Hogarth no subject or person was immune from their barbs. The prolific production of their cartoons gives insights into the cultural and political preoccupations of the British.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.