Uproar!: Satire, Scandal & Printmakers in Georgian London

by Alice Loxton

London, 1772: a young artist called Thomas Rowlandson is making his way through the grimy backstreets of the capital, on his way to begin his studies at the Royal Academy Schools. Within a few years, James Gillray and Isaac Cruikshank would join him in Piccadilly, turning satire into an artform, taking on the British establishment, and forever changing the way we view power.

Set against a backdrop of royal madness, political intrigue, the birth of modern celebrity, French revolution, American independence and the Napoleonic Wars, UPROAR! follows the satirists as they lampoon those in power, from the Prince Regent to Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. Their prints and illustrations deconstruct the political and social landscape with surreal and razor-sharp wit, as the three men vie with each other to create the most iconic images of the day.

UPROAR! fizzes with energy on every page. Alice Loxton writes with verve and energy, never failing to convince in her thesis that Gillray and his gang profoundly altered British humour, setting the stage for everything from Gilbert and Sullivan to Private Eye and Spitting Image today. This is a book that will cause readers to reappraise everything they think they know about genteel Georgian London, and see it for what it was - a time of UPROAR!

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Art, Historical, British Literature, Audiobook, Politics

416 pages, Hardcover

First published March 2, 2023

Reviews

[Nicki Markus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have long loved the satirical drawings of Georgian England and have wished to learn more about them, since, while they often illustrate books on the era, they are rarely spoken of in any detail. Therefore I was excited to see a book releasing on this very topic. Overall, Alice Loxton's Uproar! is a wonderful read. It was fascinating to learn more about the background of the artists and the manner in which they produced their prints. Their personal stories were expertly woven in with discussion of the key events and people they lampooned in their artworks, and I learnt a few new things along the way that I hadn't come across in other books on the period. The only reason this book gets 4.5 stars from me and not a full 5 is the fact that, given it is a book about art, I would have liked to have seen more visuals included, perhaps in the form of colour plates. However, I note that I was reading an ARC. Therefore, it may well be that additional images will be included in the final version of the book. I will have to take a look once it releases, as this is one I would like to buy a copy of for my shelf! Recommended for anyone interested in either the Georgian era or the birth of cartoons and satirical artwork.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audiobook and it was very well made. I never thought much of this part of history but was curious when I saw the book. Very interesting and it did make me more interested in satire and such.

[Gok · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. It’s about the satirists Thomas Rowlandson, James Gilroy, and Issac Cruikshanks. Who are these guys? Exactly, but they were the creators of cartoons about the Politicians and the monarchies of the time. Making fun of the people with power. Including Napoleon during the late 1790s and early 1800s.

Their fun sketches making fun of the royals and politicians were displayed in a shop window in Piccadilly and made people laugh. An early version of the Internet. The public couldn’t get enough.

Probably where we Brits get that satire sense of humour?

It seems the Victorians removed this kind of humour and their history has been in the shadows ever since. The cartoons were too saucy for them.

Well done to the author also bringing the history of the time into the book, from 1790-1820, from George III, George IV, Fox and Pitt, Napoleon, and many others. A lot of this I didn’t really know about.

Next time I walk down Piccadilly I will think of them. And you will also want to look up the cartoons on the Internet.

[Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am absolutely floored about how much information is shared in this book. The work feels exhaustive. It seems sad to me that so much of the work of the men centered in this book was lost, mostly over a misunderstanding about what the creator was trying to accomplish. For anybody wanting to get a look at English History from some years before the American Revolution up to the start of the reign of Queen Victoria through the eyes of a caricaturist, this is the book to read!

[Helen Frost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastically entertaining, enthralling and educational to boot. I loved this delve into the everyday and not so everyday life of seventeenth century Britain and the unsung heroes, the cartoonists who depicted the goings on and political events with an incredibly dry wit and excellently observing eye.
The level of detail in the narrative is stunning so i felt fully immersed in the contemporary era. I loved that the author drew comparison and made quips which pinged us back to the present era, as they were astute observations in the same style as the artists about they were writing about and reminded me that, although centuries apart, there are many parallels to be drawn.
An exceptional book after which I feel much enlightened and enthused to further research the subject. Absolutely brilliant.

[Carina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fascinating topic, but the writing style is utter garbage.

The book is riddled with speculations, made-up conversations, made-up diary entries, made-up radio reports, made-up Tripadvisor reviews (wtf?) and there are constant allusions to modern inventions, devices and behaviour.

The histoical research is also... lacking.

Also, can we please stop making Harry Potter references in history books??!

[Stewart Cotterill · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only the third book I’ve not finished in twenty years. I’m absolutely confused at how this book got through all the processes that they have to go through without someone saying “wait, are you absolutely sure that you want to publish this book”.

Is it the plain weird way in which the author writes, in a style reminiscent of 1980s tv “yoof speak”. Is it the made up sources even though the author tells us that they are made up? This book isn’t non fiction nor is it fiction. As said it has well researched sources as well as fictional ones. Or is it that because of the above, I didn’t really care about the subjects of the book despite getting 180ish pages in.

[Carol Skinner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not my normal read, but it was an insight into one of the most interesting periods of British history through the eyes of a group of artists who have been forgotten and under appreciated. A really easy read, despite it being non-fiction and historical. Definitely worth reading.

[Kt Wakeling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing research, loved the breakdown of the images and really enjoyed the lives of these people, glad they are getting more recognition now, especially Hannah

[Andy Hoover · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first this book was a little lost on me, the topic almost too small and focused - I wondered if this was modern history...extremely specialized almost to the point of absurdity.

I stuck with it because, simply, I find Alice Loxton's online presence and presentations to be fantastic.

Worth it.

The book is very much inline with Loxton's style and voice, and expands the picture to really place the importance of the unusual topic in the big picture, with intricate connections and explanations to a great many things - all tied up nicely. For me, this was almost a character work, read more just to read the author than the subject - and I enjoyed it as such.

Worth reading if you are already a Loxton fan or if you are interested in satire, journalism, and a unique place in history.

[Sarah Kimberley · Rating 4 out of 5]

What did the lively Georgians do before newspapers and internet memes? Well, Georgian Printmakers published satirical pictures of course. As explored fantastically by Alice Loxton. These illustrated prints were everything from subtle to the hysterical, creating an uproar and a spectacle. They were by design, a mockery of society and chipped away at Britain’s fundamental flaws. It was London that became “the throbbing heart of the print world” and created this gossip girl like world.
Uproar! Definitely gave me Bridgerton-esque energy.
It took me a little while to get into this book and get to the juice, but I’m glad I stuck it out. This was my first time reading about Coffee Houses: public spheres where men would meet up for business and general craic (gossip) or intellectual conversation. I got a buzz just reading about the goings on of Georgian London.
It was a good cash grab and an opportunity for young artists to make a fine name and a pretty penny.
Alice Loxton makes history fun. I love reading archival material so this was perfect for me.

[Maggie Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started following Loxton on Instagram years ago, and as soon as she started talking about her book, I knew I wanted to buy it. It just so happened that she was touring in Edinburgh while I was there for my honeymoon, so my husband and I went to the reading - what better place to buy a copy!

This book is witty and informing - I am not British, so many of the names and places weren’t very familiar to me, but I feel like I learned so much! Loxton’s writing style is accessible and way to read, and I just think she is so funny.

If you’re looking for something out of the ordinary and historical, this is your book!

[CPE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alice Loxton’s Uproar! Probably needs its subtitle - Satire, Scandal and Printmakers in Georgian London – to give the reader a clue what it’s about. Don’t let the Author’s Note at the beginning put you off. Its deliberately “down and dirty” tone – “We’ll pry into the most intimate moments of our ancestors’ lives – see them sneeze and yawn, hear them giggle and snort” does not reflect the deep scholarship that Loxton has put into this book. It’s far better than you might be led to expect from that introduction, even though a later footnote includes “Ten points to Gryffindor”.

The look is undoubtedly written in a brisk style and does use the domestic lives of its subjects to carry the narrative forward. Chapter one starts with “A fifteen-year-old whippersnapper named Tom scurried through the grimy backstreets of eighteenth-century London.” That’s Thomas Rowlandson, the great artist. The book focuses upon Rowlandson, James Gillray and Isaac Cruikshank. There are imagined conversations between them and other suppositions about what they did or thought but, in general, this is serious research put over in a very light C21st manner – “The nation held its breath and grabbed the popcorn.”.

Loxton does an excellent job of showing us the rivalry between the artists and the printmakers to depict the truly exciting political and court world of the late 1700s and early 1800s. CJ Fox, William Pitt and the Prince Regent were just a few of the much larger than life characters that the artists gleefully lampooned. Like today’s brilliant Matt of the Daily Telegraph, they responded overnight to news stories. Although I knew a bit about the political history of the time and about the artists, Loxton’s narrative really does put the two together in a highly readable way. Understanding the commercial aspects of the print world, with rival printmakers racing to be the first to issue prints commenting on current news stories; the scandals (and why they were scandals); and the political leanings of the various players, makes this book the best commentary upon those times that I’ve read.

I really do recommend this book. If, like me, you have initial reservations about the very modern prose style that mentions Rowlandson’s aunt giving him “dollops of TLC”, don’t worry. It actually works very well and does carry the narrative forward at pace. I began to enjoy the style and I emphatically enjoyed the book. There are enough footnotes to satisfy the most fastidious historian, drawing upon primary and secondary sources; a comprehensive bibliography; and lots of illustrations. The quality of the reproductions weren’t terribly good in the proof e-book I was sent, but that might be down to them being prints that are, after all, over 200 years old!

#UPROAR #NetGalley

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars.

This book started with a faux pas. Not by the author, but by me. The author, Alice Loxton, is becoming known as a rising face of British history, in large part due to Dan Snow's History Hit YouTube channel. This is how I became familiar with her work, and that she wrote a book. And I happened to be in London just after this book was released, so why not grab it?

Therein lies the faux pas. I didn't even look at the subject of the book! I guess I was expecting a more general book, in line with what I had seen of her work, instead this is a detailed dive into political and cultural satirical artists of the late Georgian era. Not something I am particularly interested in, and after finishing the book that hasn't changed a lot.

The writing was a bit thick at times, and she jumped between artists often and quickly, which made it hard to remember who was who, or did what, or when. I would have liked to get more sense of their impact, it was talked about but not enough. And the illustrations were way too small, at least in the Kindle version. I will compare it to the printed edition.

All in all it was a little interesting, though a few Wiki articles would have sufficed. Next time I will do my research first.

[Alise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars are not enough to rate this wonderful journey through history. Someone who is not British but very passionate about British history - who would have thought that satirists held such an exciting story?
I devoured every page as if it were a spoonful of my favorite sweet. I loved it, loved it, loved it! Fascinating! I learned so much, and I had fun while doing so.
I am 100% hooked and patiently waiting for the next book Alice Loxton will create. And so it will continue. Thank you for sharing these hidden gems of history!

[Melinoë · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish I could have enjoyed this, but I have an issue with non-fiction books acting like historical fiction. This book is interspersed with fake conversations and fake diary entries (etc.), and though it doesn't pretend that these conversations and entries are real, I do think that it impacts the legitimacy of the historian and the history being presented.

[Tom Artikal · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately, despite the hype, this book just doesn't hit the mark.

[Yj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did you know Napoleon was slightly above average height for his time period? So why do we think of him as short? Because brilliant satirist James Gillray portrayed him as a toddler having a tantrum and the image became so pervasive in Georgian a England that the image is still with us today.

Alice Loxton gives us a fascinating look into the work and lives of Great Britain’s original satirical artists and with it an understanding of Georgian England.

Excellent read.

[Kyle McAllister · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned and I laughed - what more can you ask! A funny story about the history of satirist and their influence on society. A niche topic with global appeal and effect. I don’t usually read non-fiction history books, but after seeing Alice on Instagram I was drawn to her style. I am so happy to report that this accessible tone translates into her writing as well.

[Ellie Cripps · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly interesting dive into a moment in English history I knew very little about, might have had more value from the print version with viewing the images alongside the text, but was still a great and accessible read.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully obscure history that has encouraged me to seek out prints of these Georgian satirists. Wasn’t too keen on her writing style but I reckon it might be what has gotten her above the din and has certainly granted her more book deals.

[katie meddins (maresh) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25
a really well done look into the origins of published satire which did a great job of situating it in the european political perspective. also it made me think of lila bard a lot

[lukas · Rating 5 out of 5]

zaujímavý štýl písania, ktorý ma najprv vydesil ale potom som pochopil,odporúčam

[Carissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. Learned so much about Georgian England and carcaturists who had wild senses of humor and amazing talent. It was extra rewarding to learn about incredibly talented people who have been forgotten by history.

This book was also well-paced and included plenty of dorky jokes to hold my interest throughout. The pictures were amazing also. Highly recommend!

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent navigation through the Georgian period art world and the rise of satire!

Our laid back attitude towards mocking drawings that other countries might consider treasonous propaganda made me proud!

I had no idea Gillray and Rowlandson were so influential!

[Mark Lonie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This read differently to other history books, far more energy and enthusiasm than anything I have experienced. Loxton writes with great fascination and detail, it's hard not to get swept away with it. A fantastic read.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this. Alice Loxton’s voice really carries the book; it’s so easy to read and is so engaging. She brings a lightness to the subject matter that I felt really lifted the book as a whole. She also did a great job, for me, at making an emotional connection between these historical figures and the reader. I was surprised as I came to the end of the book by how emotional I found it, learning how their legacy had been tarnished.

But before that – the book is chronological, beginning with the origins of Thomas Rowlandson, James Gillray and Isaac Cruikshank, covering their rise and their heyday through to the end of their lives. The book finishes with discussing their legacies, and how little they are remembered today.

Loxton’s admiration for these men – and one of their publishers, Hannah Humphrey – is clear throughout the book, as is her goal of reeducating people about their impact. The result is a very interesting deep dive into the lives and works of these men, and by the time I finished it I was saddened and disappointed in how their impact has been forgotten over time. They were responsible for so many things – including making and breaking the reputations of some of the most famous political figures of both British and international history, but to read about how their impact was erased was really infuriating.

I’m glad that this book has been written, in that sense; it’s a good story, unflinchingly told and very readable. A tale definitely deserving of more focus in the future.

Content Notes:

Warnings: References throughout to death, murder, executions, slavery, racism, poverty, violence, war, serious illness, mental illness, incarceration..

[Arran Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think writing a book about some of Britain's most interesting, funny, and talented artists that are so often overlooked was an absolute masterstroke by Alice. These are people, as Alice says, who have been confined to historians or art experts for too long and they deserve to be adored and enjoyed by the public. I don't think anyone else could have brought them back into the limelight like Alice has.

[Kalliope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alice Loxton is striking historian whom I follow in Instagram. When in Oxford last summer, I could not but buy her first book - a signed copy with the ‘Exclusive to Blackwell’s’ stamp. Her vivacity, spark and dynamism are admirable, and her way of presenting history is unquestionably engaging.

About the subject of the book, I was less convinced, but, hey, why do we read books?

This is mostly a collective biography of mostly three the caricaturists Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827), James Gillray (1756-1815) and Isaak Cruikshank (1764-1811) – and to a certain extent his son George (1792-1878) as an Epilogue.



The account begins in the 1770s, the decade of the Boston Tea Party and of the founding of the Academy Schools, although the bustle really begins in the 1780s and runs up till the 1830s and the beginning of the Victorian era. During this time span Loxton follows these caricaturists as she traces the political arena with the rivalry between the Young Pitt and Charles James Fox; the drama of the benevolent king going crazy and of his crazier and awful son; the Treaty of Paris of 1783 sealing the end of the American Revolutionary War; the outbreak of the French Revolution with a Tale of Two Cities climate and with the troublesome Thomas Paine adding to the overall stress; the unbundling of the slave trade; the Napoleon hurricane; and the death of George IV as the closing doors to this succession of events.



Caricaturists were nothing without their printers and Loxton gives us a fascinating account of this industry during the period, a world that would drastically change in the first quarter of the following century with the advent of steel printing presses. And given that a satirist depends completely on the social texture in which he thrives, Loxton engrossingly fleshes her account, reminding us that their public was a population who enjoyed high art (Reynolds paintings and Handel operas) as well as watching with delectation a public execution. There was also a great deal of drinking.

Even though I was acquainted with Loxton’s caricaturists, I had always found it very difficult to read their images. A great deal of political and social context is required to decipher them. Loxton illustrates her book copiously and all the images are captivatingly described and interpreted. This was for me one of the greatest strengths of Uproar!

And her conclusion is effective and convincing. By contrasting the free spirit of this generation at the closure of the Georgian age with the straightjacketed Victorian stage, and by pointing out that the political criticism provided by these satirists, most probably took a lot of steam off the British population as the French Revolution agitated a nation that had its own problems. Her Uproar! is then an effort to elevate these figures to a higher social, artistic and historical realm.

There were a couple of aspects that convinced me less. One is the trap in which biographers can fall when imagining situations (Spoiler “his can perhaps be explained through an episode entirely of my own imagination”). Another one is that some sections are too explicative (such as those on Leonardo, and other major Renaissance and baroque artists), that seemed to me the result of a smart, but young writer, who may underestimate her readers.

But I have her second book and have heard that her third on the Eleanor Crosses will come out relatively soon.

[Veronica · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 stars. Thanks TikTok!

As a fan of Alice Loxton’s history content on TikTok (and someone interested in the late 1700s & British history), I was really excited when she published this book and knew I had to read it.

Historical nonfiction purists out there probably won’t enjoy this as much as I did from a writing style perspective: Loxton uses modern references to make points in a very casual, comical, delivery style. She uses hypothetical dialogue, journal entries, and “picture this” narrative devices to bring the reader into the past-she doesn’t simply regurgitate factual information. This, for me, was an interesting choice, but one that worked, especially given the light, jokey content & tone of the book. Her delivery style on TikTok and her delivery in this book is very similar-I could hear her voice in my head as I read this!

Regarding content: though I’m interested in the Georgian period in general, I wouldn’t necessarily choose a book about famous-yet-not-famous Georgian figures to read about. But, I’m glad I did! It’s fascinating, genuinely, to read about normal people from the past, see how they navigate major historical events, and just understand the gossipy, media culture of the time. I also learned a lot about satirists and caricature artists and the tabloidish media…and saw that honestly, it really hasn’t changed that much. My favorite chapters dealt with the French Revolution and how that was handled by the satirists in England: it was supported by the English public and thus supported via caricature, but as soon as they murked their king, public opinion turned…and the satirists did too (though they did take the opportunity to poke fun, to an extent, at the English for their hypocrisy regarding perceived French “barbarism” after their king’s execution - I mean, the English had murked *their* king only 100 years prior after all!).

What really struck me was the revelation that these satirist-Rowlandson, Gillray, Cruikshanks, and Humphrey (not a true satirist but she gave them a platform in her publishing house!) - haven’t been written about before at this level of depth. Like, I vividly remember seeing these satire images while learning about the Georgian era in my history classes in school (after all, they have a particular look to them); if I saw them in America back in 2011, they must have been viewed and studied widely! But no: as Loxton says, the Victorians did a good job of stamping out their memory (as an aside, Loxton did a great job of depicting the differences between Georgian London-opulent, unserious [even when things were very much serious], light, funny, and indulgent - and Victorian London: dark, dingy, chaste, hypocritical, and serious). Her book, therefore, does history a service of bringing the history-and the people behind them-to life once again.