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Primary sourcePainting26 February 1805

The Plumb-pudding in danger

James Gillray · 26 February 1805

A famous 1805 British caricature by James Gillray showing Napoleon and Prime Minister William Pitt carving up the world like a pudding.

The cartoon satirises Napoleon's territorial ambitions as seen by his British contemporaries.

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Hand-colored caricature print showing two men at a table carving a globe shaped like a plum pudding. The man on the left wears a red military coat and tall hat and holds a fork and knife. The man on the right wears a blue coat with gold trim, a plumed hat, and holds a sword and fork. Steam rises from the globe, and the title is printed across the top.
James Gillray, The Plumb-pudding in danger, 1805. Published by H. Humphrey, London.

About this source

What it is

This hand-coloured print was made by the English caricaturist James Gillray and published in London in 1805. It shows Napoleon, newly crowned Emperor of France, and British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger carving a pudding shaped like the globe.

Why it matters

The cartoon mocks peace talks between Britain and France that came to nothing before war resumed. It reflects how the British public viewed Napoleon's ambitions for territory, showing Pitt taking the larger share of 'ocean' while Napoleon claims a smaller piece of 'Europe'. It has become one of the most reproduced political cartoons ever made.

Look closer

  • What symbols does Gillray use to show each man's power — and how does he make Napoleon look smaller?
  • Why might a British artist want to mock Napoleon's ambitions this way?
  • What does this cartoon tell us about how ordinary people in Britain might have seen the war with France?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Napoleon Bonaparte on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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