Satirical print, preamble Fourth Anglo-Dutch War – anonymous, 1780

DUTCH SATIRICAL PRINT ON THE PRECARIOUS STATE OF THE BRITISH ECONOMY AROUND 1780

Etching with engraving, produced by an anonymous artist around 1780. Coloured by a later hand. Size (plate mark): approx. 26 × 30 cm.

The British Exchange Bank hangs from the horn of a fantastical English unicorn and is otherwise kept aloft only by the (pro-English) Dutch merchant fleet. The Dutchman on the left consults with a worried merchant holding a ledger. On the right, a Frenchman pulls the Englishman away from the bank, while an American Indian child appears to give him an extra shove; the Spaniard kneeling on crutches is unable to offer any help.

At the feet of the two Dutch figures lie objects representing Dutch commerce: cheese, textiles, and other goods. In the background, Dutch prosperity—symbolised by windmills and dairy cattle—points to the importance of agricultural products in the economic life of the Netherlands.

The caption beneath calls for English loyalty to the Dutch: “Only the Dutch, not laughing at your nose, good natur’d helps to snatch what-e’er you lose.”

But reality turned out differently:

The English economy grew more strongly than the Dutch. Out of jealousy, the Dutch Republic supported the rebels in the American colonies, who during the American War of Independence sought to break away from the British Empire. Arms and ammunition were shipped to the Dutch colony of St Eustatius, from where they were resold to the Americans, much to the anger of the British. Although the British protested, the smuggling trade continued, and in 1780 England declared war on the Netherlands.

Literature: Frederik Muller “Nederlandsche historieplaten” (1863-1882), nr. 4371-b.

Price: Euro 375,-