John Bull Humbugg'd Alias both Ear'd

This hand-colored etching from 1794 is a satirical political cartoon from the British press, depicting the personification of England—John Bull—in a humiliating predicament. The title's reference to being "both Ear'd" (cropped of both ears) suggests a punishment associated with criminal behavior, turning the tables on England's national symbol. Published during a tumultuous period of European politics, when Britain faced challenges from revolutionary France and diplomatic tensions, this print represents the vibrant tradition of Georgian-era political satire.

While Isaac Broome is better known for his later career as a ceramic sculptor and designer working in parian porcelain—creating patriotic busts of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, along with decorative plaques and tiles for the American market—this work appears under his name but was published in 1794, when Broome would have been impossibly young (he was born in 1836). This attribution anomaly suggests either a cataloging error or perhaps the work of an earlier, unrelated printmaker. The hand-coloring technique, applied over the etched lines on ivory paper, was typical of political prints of the 1790s, which were mass-produced and sold in print shops across London to comment on current events with biting humor.