The Last Volume of the Works of Gullypound

This hand-colored etching satirizes British conduct during the London Conference of 1832, depicting a ship's figurehead as 'Ultima Tum'—a Latin pun on ultimatum. The vessel lists precariously while labeled figures representing British policy positions hang from rigging, their authority and balance compromised. The print draws on the long tradition of political caricature extending from Hogarth and Gillray through Rowlandson, using exaggerated anatomy, visual puns, and allegorical maritime imagery to mock diplomatic intransigence. The etching technique allowed sharp detail and mordant line work suited to political critique. Such prints circulated widely in the nineteenth century as instruments of public opinion, ancestors of the editorial cartoon and graphic satire traditions that would feed into modern comic art.