The Feud: William Hogarth’s Portrait of John Wilkes
Learn how a personal fight immortalized one of the most scandalous English politicians in the 18th century.
John Wilkes Esq.r (1763) by William HogarthThe Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
The subject: John Wilkes
John Wilkes (1725–1797) was a journalist, political radical, and member of Great Britain’s Parliament for the town of Aylesbury, and later Middlesex County. His outspoken, frequently anti-monarchical politics turned him into an icon of liberty and anti-tyranny, especially for later American Revolutionaries.
William Hogarth (1795-1822) by Benjamin Smith IIThe Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
The artist: William Hogarth
William Hogarth (1697–1764), was a renowned English painter and engraver best known for his works about morality, such as A Rake’s Progress and Marriage A-la-Mode, both pictured below from Colonial Williamsburg’s collection. He commented on social issues and critiqued the excesses and disparities of the upper classes.
The Smoaking Club (1792) by Edmund Scott (engraver), Bull & Jeffryes (publisher), after work by John BoyneThe Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
A first meeting: Society of Beef Steaks
Wilkes and Hogarth first met at the Sublime Society of Beef Steaks, a notorious men’s club that met above London’s Covent Garden Theatre. While they disagreed about the monarchy, the men likely enjoyed apolitical, indecent conversation over beefsteaks and wine.
The Times, Plate I (September 7, 1762) by William HogarthThe Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
The feud begins
Unlike Wilkes, Hogarth supported the current Prime Minister John Stuart, Third Earl of Bute (Lord Bute). In 1762, Hogarth created an engraving to defend Lord Bute’s response to the Seven Years’ War, entitled The Times, Plate I.
He depicted Bute (aiming the hose, with "GR" on his shoulder) saving the world from a fire, crediting Bute with protecting Great Britain by ending the Seven Years' War.
This print chastised Wilkes’ newspaper, the North Briton. It depicted a newspaper peddler attempting to knock down a Scottish Highlander, who helps extinguish the flames. The scene criticized Wilkes' anti-Scottish prejudice against the Scottish Lord Bute.
Supplement to the Virginia Gazette, No. None, August 15, 1766, pg 4 (1766) by William RindThe Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Wilkes responds
In the North Briton’s 17th edition, Wilkes responded, arguing that Hogarth should stick to making prints about morality instead of factional politics. Wilkes cruelly attacked the artist’s old age, judgement, and satirical abilities.
The Times, Plate II (1795-1822) by William HogarthThe Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
A couple of months later, Hogarth responded with The Times, Plate II, accusing Wilkes of defamation and illustrating him in stocks with The North Briton pinned to his front. Due to Lord Bute’s resignation, the print lost relevance and was not published. Instead, Hogarth bided his time.
John Wilkes Esq; before the Court of King’s Bench (1768)The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
On trial
Soon, Wilkes was back in the headlines. In No. 45 of The North Briton, he criticized a speech King George III gave at the end of the Seven Years’ War. Direct criticism of the King of England led to Wilkes’ arrest for seditious libel. Wilkes is pictured here before the court in the Gentleman's Magazine's later narrative of the case.
John Wilkes Esq.r (1763) by William HogarthThe Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Hogarth attended the court proceedings, sketching Wilkes during his trial. Several days later, he engraved and published his drawing of Wilkes as a caricature titled John Wilkes Esq.r.
Hogarth over-emphasized the politician’s features, with crossed eyes, a protruding jaw, a wig resembling devil horns, and a Liberty Cap. Hovering over Wilkes’ head, the Liberty Cap symbolized the struggle for freedom and mocked Wilkes’ self-characterization as a hero of liberty.
On a desk next to Wilkes, Hogarth engraved North Briton Number 45 and 17, the two editions containing essays that led to the trial and the feud.
The traitor
Newspaper advertisements drew comparisons between this portrait and Hogarth’s portrait of Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat. Lovat was a Scottish chief and Jacobite leader who was charged with treason. By portraying Wilkes in a similar pose, Hogarth accused him of betraying England.
The Bruiser (1795-1822) by William HogarthThe Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Charles Churchill, a poet and friend of Wilkes, jumped to his defense with a poem accusing Hogarth of senility and bad politics. Hogarth countered with an unflattering engraving of Churchill titled The Bruiser, depicting him as a drunk bear wielding a club with the word “lyes” [lies] written on it.
Tail Piece, or The Bathos (1795-1822) by William HogarthThe Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Hogarth’s finale
Throughout this feud, Hogarth suffered multiple health scares. A couple of months after The Bruiser, Hogarth published his final print: Tailpiece, or the Bathos (shown here).
Tailpiece referenced the print that exposed his political disagreements with Wilkes. Sitting too close to a lit candle, The Times, Plate I catches on fire. This was Hogarth’s farewell that tied all his works together. He died six months later in October 1764, ending the feud.
Wilkes beyond print
Hogarth’s caricature of Wilkes lived on. Chinese artists painted this porcelain punch bowl based on Hogarth’s print. Combined with another image of men drinking from a punch bowl, the use of Wilkes’ portrait nodded to the politician’s infamously libertine lifestyle.
Wilkes’ likeness appeared on all sorts of objects, such as handkerchiefs, milk jugs, and political prints. They incorporated symbols that Hogarth used in his caricature, such as the Liberty Cap and number 45. Symbolizing liberty, “45” refers to The North Briton article number 45 in which Wilkes criticized the King.
John Wilkes Esq.r. (May 23, 1768) by KitchemanThe Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Wilkes’ newfound celebrity
Previously, political cartoons depicted Wilkes as an indistinguishable, typical politician. Hogarth’s caricature made Wilkes recognizable. His distinctive features, particularly his crossed eyes and devil horn wig, became symbols of personal liberty and the free press.
THE ALTERNATIVE OF WILLIAMS-BURG (February 15, 1775) by Robert Sayer (1725-1794) & John Bennett (fl. 1760-1787)The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
The American Revolution
The feud concluded just before the outbreak of American revolutionary protests in 1765, but the patriots still integrated imagery of Wilkes into their rhetoric. He embodied rebellion, freedom of speech, and liberty—all essential values of the American cause. American patriots utilized "45" in protests and cried out "Wilkes and Liberty!"
Wilkes was the most supportive member in Parliament of the Americans, and they appreciated his support. In Virginia’s colonial capitol of Williamsburg, residents celebrated Wilkes’ birthday in 1768 with 45 toasts. In this print, Williamsburg residents protest taxes on imported goods and send Wilkes Virginia tobacco.
Wilkes’ feud with Hogarth generated symbols of radical politics that American patriots used to further their cause. Hogarth’s portrait transformed Wilkes into an icon of liberty and revolution.
Learn more about print-making and John Wilkes, explore the Colonial Williamsburg collection, discover the print collection, and visit the Celebrity in Print exhibit at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg.
Learn more about Colonial Williamsburg at colonialwilliamsburg.org.
This story was researched, written, reviewed, and edited by experts at The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
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