Tom Paine's Nightly Pest

James Gillray British
 Publisher Hannah Humphrey British
 Sitter Thomas Paine American, born England

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This satire comments on the British prosecution of Thomas Paine, who was then in France. On December 8, 1792 he was found guilty in absentia for libel in passages published in his "Rights of Man." Here, Paine sleeps wearing a cap of liberty, near a curtain decorated with fleur-de-lys. His headboard supports images of guardian angels Charles James Fox and Dr. Priestly, and the pillow is inscribed "Vive l'America." The author dreams of judicial wigs, a dungeon and a gibbet, and his coat pocket, lying across the bed, contains a copy of "Common Sense."

Tom Paine's Nightly Pest, James Gillray (British, London 1756–1815 London), Etching and aquatint

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