Spotprent met Daniel O'Connell Possibly 1845

This lithograph of Daniel O'Connell, made by John Doyle, presents O’Connell as a fox, a sly predator. The image appropriates Landseer’s painting, and it creates meaning through visual codes and cultural references. This caricature comes from England, at a time when Anglo-Irish relations were fraught. O’Connell was a leading Irish political figure who campaigned for Catholic emancipation and the repeal of the Act of Union. Doyle’s cartoon reflects the widespread English view of O’Connell as untrustworthy. Here he's a fox, the embodiment of cunning, who has been outwitted. The dead rabbit holds a book titled "Rent", referencing the Catholic Association which O'Connell founded to collect money to fund his campaigns. Looking at prints like this, we can learn about the politics of imagery. Our understanding of the artwork is always contingent on social and institutional context. To understand it better we can make use of newspapers, pamphlets, and political records.