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Primary sourcePainting1783

The Times, or the Downfall of Magna Farta

1783

A satirical engraving from 1783 showing Lord North climbing a rope to escape a sinking-looking ship lifted by balloons. It mocks his war policy and his coalition with Charles Fox.

North is the figure climbing the rope in this 1783 satire, which shows contemporary criticism of his war policy and his coalition.

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Satirical engraving titled 'The Times, or the Downfall of Magna Farta' showing a man-of-war ship lifted into the sky by three large balloons, with small figures hauling ropes from a sandbank below, a figure climbing a rope, and caricatured scenes including India and Bengal at the bottom. A caption reads 'The Air Balloons carrying up the Royal George and Lord N—th &c.'
'The Times, or the Downfall of Magna Farta', satirical engraving, 1783.

About this source

What it is

This is a satirical engraving titled 'The Times, or the Downfall of Magna Farta', dated 1783. It shows a man-of-war lifted into the sky by three balloons. Sailors on a sandbank below haul at ropes, and Lord North climbs one of them. The caption reads 'The Air Balloons carrying up the Royal George and Lord N—th &c.'

North says 'I am going for More airy Promises', and a paper falling from him reads that Fox 'is a curse on Coalitions'. On the shore, the Duke of Portland and Charles Fox watch. Britannia, on a rock at the edge of the sea, holds a broken spear and is about to fall into the water.

Why it matters

The print reflects contemporary views of North's war policy and of his alliance with Charles Fox. It shows how satirists of the 1780s used the figures of the period, including Fox and Portland, to comment on the political mood of the time.

Look closer

  • What does the ship being lifted by balloons suggest about the government's plans?
  • Why might the artist show North climbing away while others are left behind?
  • What does the broken spear held by Britannia tell you about the print's point of view?

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

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