Many years ago I was given a copy of this 1819 cartoon by the satirical engraver George Cruikshank (1792-1878). Sadly it is not an original but I like it because it has lots of detail to be interpreted.  It is entitled “Royal Embarkation or bearing Brittannia’s Hope from a Bathing Machine to a Royal Barge”

The colour-tinted print shows a sexually exhausted Prince Regent being carried from a Brighton bathing machine onto the jolly-boat of HMS Royal George.  He has clearly had fun as the bathing machine contains two naked women and his left hand clutches the ample breast of a bathing-girl called Judy. She does not seem to mind, probably as she has been given the gift of the gold necklace which she is wearing. 

One of the bathing-girls says “Faith! He’s no joke Judy, the devil is a heavier burthen than in the country”  (‘burthen is an archaic word for ‘burden’)  Judy, clearly enamoured by the podgy prince replies “By my own soul, I’d rather carry such a nice neat gentleman than the best basket of mackerel that ever was at Billingsgate!”

The Prince is saying “Oh my dear girls, put me on-board safe and I shall tell Paget to give you some grog – I almost suffocated in that infernal bathing machine. Mind my foot!”  The ‘girls’ he mentions are not the bathing women but the sailors! –  ‘Paget’ was Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Paget (1778-1839) and at the time of this print was published (August 1819) was the Captain of HMS Royal George.  He is probably the sword-carrying naval officer standing in the centre wearing a tight blue jacket with large gold epaulettes.

The Prince Regent, dressed as a navy Admiral, is concerned about his foot as he is suffering from gout – note that his right foot is bandaged. His feet  are being held by a sailor who doubts the Prince will fit in the boat. He is saying “My eyes jack! – this ‘ere craft will never carry him!” and calls for a reeve a tackle (rope and tackle) to assist. Captain Paget barks an order to the bargeman saying  “Shove the barge further astern damn you!”  commanding him to move the jolly boat further to help the prince.  By the look on his face,  the be-whiskered bargemen is clearly not impressed and complains about his tight, newly-issued soldier’s jacket saying he looks like a lobster. (In my print the jacket is coloured blue but in others it was painted in the correct colour – red.) 

At the time this print was published the King, George III was suffering from mental illness and the Prince Regent – Britannia’s hope – was spending more and more time in his new Brighton Pavilion.  His lover Mrs Fitzherbert lived nearby too.   Clearly the caricaturist Cruikshank doubted his ability to be an affective ruler!