This is one of 91 coloured engravings by George Cruikshank in a volume held in the records of the government’s treasury solicitor relating to the royal divorce, 22 September 1820. Catalogue ref: TS 11/115 (60).
The cartoon is called ‘The kettle calling the pot ugly names’ and supported Queen Caroline over her divorce from King George IV. The expression: ‘the pot calling the kettle black’ is suggested by the cartoon which means that someone is criticizing another for the same faults they have. It refers to the build-up of soot from heating a cast iron kettle on the fire – the same soot would have formed on the pot after heat from the fire. Cruikshank’s satirical cartoon plays with this expression.
The kettle is used to represent George IV insulting his wife, Caroline of Brunswick, the ‘pot’. In 1820 a huge scandal erupted at the royal court. George IV tried to divorce his wife Caroline, because she had an affair with an Italian ex-soldier,Bartolomeo Pergami. The bags in the cartoon represent the papers sealed in green bags gathered as evidence against her. The pieces of wood being burnt in the fire say ‘Broomstick’ and a ‘A bit of wood, Bergami’s pear tree.’ The Queen is compared to a witch by the King. Cruikshank prompts the viewer to think of Shakespeare’s witches in ‘Macbeth’ as the King’s kettle says, ‘Hubble Bubble Toil and Pot.’ The cartoonist’s support for the Queen is clear when we read her speech bubble.
King George IV, and as Prince Regent, was often satirised for his extravagance and womanising by George Cruikshank.