A framed picture falls off a cornice marked 'National Honour'; representing dishonour for Great Britain perceived by the Whigs in the Anglo-Spanish convention on the Falkland Islands. Engraving, 1771.

The British settlement at Port Egmont in the Falkland Islands had been seized by Spain in 1770, and seized back by the British in 1771. To avoid further dispute, a convention between England and Spain was signed on 22 January 1771. The framed painting that falls off the wall has its frame lettered with the title "A Convention". It shows Port Egmont with, in front of the fort, three men, labelled "Submission" (Great Britain), "Reluctance" (Spain) and "Indemnity" (?), joining hands. As the painting falls, four men are crushed beneath its heavy frame. The man on the right is Lord Rochford (the British Secretary of State responsible), who spills ink which spells out "The Road from Rochford to ye Tower"; he is also the "Submission" figure in the painting. In the right background, Britannia with her shield and sword appears in the doorway. In the right foreground are a ledger labelled 'Place & Pension Ledger Vol 22', a broken anchor labelled 'Tory Administration', and a crown. On the far left, a personification of London points out the disaster to the Lord Mayor (Brass Crosby, elected Lord Mayor on 29 September 1770) and two aldermen. On the wall behind is the 'Magna Charta' with a cobweb across it. Lord Bute (in Scottish attire) peeps through the window to the left. Port Egmont was finally destroyed by the Spanish in 1780

The heavy picture frame is fitted with large screw-eyes which are supposed to engage with upturned L-hooks in the wall. The cause of its fall is the shearing away of one of the eyes from the screw in the back of the frame

1771

1 print : engraving ; platemark 12 x 18.8 cm

The convention makers Bears lettering: 'Vol.3' and 'No.6'.

British Museum, Catalogue of political and personal satires, vol. 5, London 1935, no. 4849

Wellcome Collection 579637i