General James Oglethorpe
Etching After a Drawing from Life

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General James Oglethorpe
Samuel Ireland (d. 1800)
General James Oglethorpe
London: Late 18th Century
Uncolored etching on india paper mounted on wove, as issued
8.25 x 6.5 inches, platemark
13.5 x 10 inches, overall
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This fine print comes from a life drawing sketched of General James Edward Oglethorpe (1696-1785), English general and founder of the American colony of Georgia, the last of the 13 original colonies. He is shown here reading a book he had purchased from Dr. Samuel Johnson's collection on February 18, 1785, four months before his death. Johnson was a prominent literary figure and Oglethorpe, in his later years, was part of the circle who gathered around him. This plate was drawn and engraved by S. Ireland and printed on fine India paper mounted on wove.

Inscription: "Died 30th June 1785 Aged 102 said to be the oldest General in Europe - Sketch'd from Life at the sale of Dr. Johnson's books Feby 18, 1785 where the Genl was reading a book he had purchas'd without spectacles - In 1706 he had an Ensign's Commission in the guards & remember'd to have shot snipes in Conduit medd where Couduit Street now Stands."

Said to be the oldest general in Europe, James Edward Oglethorpe was an accomplished man holding a seat in the House of Commons for 32 years. He founded the colony of Georgia to serve as both a buffer between the Spanish colony in Florida and the English one in South Carolina, and as a place where debtors released from prison and the "worthy poor" could receive assistance and a fresh start. In fact, it was initially settled by farmers, tradespeople and their families. During the English war with Spain that began in 1739, he defeated the Spanish in the Battle of Bloody Marsh (1742) which assured Georgia's survival and resulted in his promotion to the rank of general. However, his subsequent assault on St. Augustine failed, and combined with the disgruntlement of some Georgians over his rigid management of the colony, this led to his recall back to England the following year. In his later years he was a member of the literary circle gathered around Dr. Samuel Johnson.

Samuel Ireland was a self-taught engraver and print publisher in London. He engraved portraits in the 1780s as well as plates after William Hogarth and other artists. He also exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1782-84. In the 1790s he published a series of volumes of "picturesque views" of Europe and England, which he illustrated himself. Ireland became an avid but somewhat unscrupulous collector of books and prints and his last years were clouded by his involvement with literary forgeries produced by his son William Henry Ireland (1771-1835).

References:

"James Edward Oglethorpe." The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. Columbia University Press: New York. 1994, 2000. http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0836428.html (16 January 2003).

Maxted, Ian. "The London book trades 1775-1800: a preliminary checklist of members." Exeter Working Papers in British Book Trade History. U.K.: Devon Library and Information Services. 20 June 2001. http://www.devon.gov.uk/library/locstudy/bookhist/loni.html (16 January 2003).