Sir Joseph Banks about to Eat an Alligator (‘The Fish Supper’) 1788

Editor: Thomas Rowlandson's "Sir Joseph Banks about to Eat an Alligator," shows a chaotic dinner scene in ink. It’s so bizarre! What resonates most is the visual gag of the alligator itself. How would you interpret the choice of such an unusual main course? Curator: The alligator serves as a potent symbol. Rowlandson was known for satire. What does serving Banks an alligator, a creature exotic and dangerous, say about perceptions of exploration and consumption during the era? It's a comment on colonial appetites, isn’t it? Editor: That makes sense. I hadn’t considered the colonial aspect of serving something so... out there. Curator: Indeed. The image becomes a cultural mirror. It reflects not just a meal, but a complex relationship between England and the wider world, preserved in caricature. Editor: I'll never look at an alligator the same way again!