Windsor Castle from the Lower Court on the Fifth of November—Fireworks 1776

Paul Sandby created this aquatint depicting 'Windsor Castle from the Lower Court on the Fifth of November—Fireworks'. This piece gives us a glimpse into eighteenth-century British society. The celebration of Guy Fawkes Night, a commemoration of a failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605, reveals a complex mix of patriotism and anti-Catholic sentiment. Sandby, as an artist working for the British military, was acutely aware of how public spectacles reinforced national identity and loyalty to the crown. But who gets to participate in this display of national unity? Look closely, and you will see a crowd that is largely male and probably middle to upper class. What about the working classes or women? Their stories and experiences on such nights are conspicuously absent. This absence encourages questions about the narratives that become canonized, and the voices left out of the historical record. The piece is not simply a record of a celebration, but a reflection on the power dynamics within British society.