Williams, Charles "Jew - Depreciating Bank Notes."

Charles Williams (d. 1830).  "Jew - Depreciating Bank Notes."

London: S. W. Fores, 1811. Hand colored etching, possibly by Charles Williams. 9 1/2 x 13 1/4. George, 11731. Very good condition.  

In 1811, Peter King, 7th Baron King of Ockham (1776-1833) notified his tenants that he would now demand rental payments in hard coin (guineas) and, if paid in bank notes, such notes would be depreciated at less than face value. Parliament was spurred by this action to make paper money legal tender.

In this caricature, King is portrayed with Jewish features and a beard, which associates him with a similarly named disgraced Jewish financier named John King. As King confronts honest and prosperous tenant John Bull with his demands, John Bull protests, while Lords Perceval and Stanhope, witnessing the confrontation, resolve to put an end to it, which Parliament did by Acts in 1811 and 1812. King points to coins on his table, which also has books Laws of Landlord & Tenant and Table of Interest. Lords Journals lie on the floor, while the cabinet behind the landlord is filled with sacks of "Guineas," plus piles of "Leases," "Annuities" and "Mortgages."

Another caricature by Charles Williams:

"The Political Tutor or New School Reform."