John Bull Volunteer jug, 1803 (c)

Bone china, unmarked but made by Spode, 1803 (c). The hand painted transfer print reproduces a caricature published by Fores on 29 October 1803, showing the front of his printshop, hung with illustrations of the principal buildings of London. It includes the caption, 'John Bull guarding the Toy-Shop, or Boney crying for some more Play-Things'.

Caricature of John Bull as a fat London Volunteer stopping a small childish Napoleon Bonaparte ('Boney') from getting into the Bank of England. Often used to personify British identity, Bull was a perfect symbol of the Volunteers' determination to resist the French.

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