Engraving on laid paper, 4.75 x 6.875 in., engrossed to 7.75 x 10 in.

An iconic cartoon from the run-up to the American Revolution.

Appearing in The London Magazine of April 1774, the scene symbolizes the American colonies being forced to accept the so-called "Intolerable Acts" passed by Parliament in retaliation for the Boston Tea Party of December 1773. The imagery - much of which is obscure to viewers today, is described thusly in The Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum:

"America, a half-clad Indian woman, is attacked by Mansfield, North (who is pouring the tea down her throat and has a copy of 'Boston Port Bill' in his pocket), Bute, and the Earl of Sandwich. A Frenchman and Spaniard look on, while Britannia weeps. In the foreground a "Boston Petition" lies torn on the ground, and in the background the fleet is bombarding Boston."

The alleged "cannonading" of Boston was merely propaganda. The scene was pirated by Bostonian Paul Revere within a month and appeared in the May 1774 issue of the Royal American Magazine.

Light soiling and minor foxing.