Hogarth’s Britons: Succession, Patriotism and the Jacobite Rebellion

Description

A Nation Divided. A Kingdom at Stake.

No other artist defines our image of 18th century Britain quite like William Hogarth. A master of story-telling, his vibrant narrative paintings, reproduced and circulated widely through print, engaged with some of the most pressing social and political issues of the times; many of which still resonate today. Amongst these was Jacobitism, a campaign to restore the exiled Stuart dynasty to the throne of Great Britain.

This exhibition explores Hogarth’s response to this threat, including the last and most serious of all attempts: the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. Led by Prince Charles Edward Stuart (‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’) with support from France, the Jacobite Army would eventually reach Derby before retreating back north to Scotland and defeat at the Battle of Culloden.

Led by Derby Museums, Hogarth’s Britons has been produced in partnership with the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery and is the first exhibition of Hogarth’s works to be staged in Derby. It brings many pieces that have never before been seen in the city, including Hogarth’s masterpiece, The March of the Guards to Finchley (Foundling Museum, London).

Others, such as the newly discovered portrait of the Prince by Allan Ramsay (National Galleries of Scotland), will be returning to Derby for the first time since the rebellion of 1745. This exhibition also brings together items from national and private collections, representing local divided loyalties and the experience of life under Jacobite-army occupation.

Exhibition co-curated by Dr Jacqueline Riding, acclaimed art historian and author of Jacobites (2016) and Hogarth: Life in Progress (2021), and Lucy Bamford, Senior Curator of Art at Derby Museums.

Free entry (Give What You Think). Suitable for all.

Image: William Hogarth, The March of the Guards to Finchley, 1749-1750, oil on canvas. © The Foundling Museum, London.