The King of Brobdingnag and Gulliver
Print, by James Gillray, 1803
The British Museum, London

This satirical cartoon depicts King George III of Great Britain as the giant King of Brobdingnag from Jonathan Swift's novel Gulliver's Travels, with Napoleon Bonaparte as the diminutive figure of Gulliver sitting on his palm. It was produced during the Napoleonic Wars and reflects Gillray's satirical commentary on the political situation of the time. It portrays King George III as a powerful and towering figure compared to Napoleon, symbolising Britain's dominance over France in the ongoing conflict. Napoleon, despite his military prowess and ambitions, is depicted as small and insignificant in comparison to the British monarch.