The Mock Election is an 1827 genre painting by the British artist Benjamin Robert Haydon.[1] It was inspired by a real-life event that took place while Haydon was himself imprisoned at the King's Bench Prison in Southwark for debt.
| The Mock Election | |
|---|---|
_-_The_Mock_Election_-_RCIN_405824_-_Royal_Collection.jpg) | |
| Artist | Benjamin Robert Haydon |
| Year | 1827 |
| Type | Oil on canvas, genre painting |
| Dimensions | 140 cm × 190 cm (57 in × 73 in) |
| Location | Royal Collection, London |
The conditions at the prison were fairly lenient for the inmates while they attempted to clear their debts. As a joke, several of the prisoners decided to organise an election, imitating those of a British general election. They declared they would elect two Members of Parliament (the standard representation for a pre-Reform Act English Borough). The constituency was dubbed the "Borough of Tenterden" after the Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench Lord Tenterden.[2] Three candidates stood for election, one of them Robert Stanton had recently been a real Member of Parliament. Another was the boxer Henry Josiah Holt. The election was presided over by an Irishman Jonas Murphy, posing as the Lord High Sheriff.[3][4]
The painting was acquired by George IV for 500 guineas and remains in the Royal Collection.[5] It was followed by a sequel Chairing the Members, depicting the aftermath of the mock election and the calling in of soldiers by the prison authorities to restore order.
References
edit- ^ Dart p.217
- ^ O'Keeffe p.259
- ^ O'Keeffe p.260
- ^ https://www.rct.uk/collection/405824/the-mock-election
- ^ https://www.rct.uk/collection/405824/the-mock-election
Bibliography
edit- Dart, Gregory. Metropolitan Art and Literature, 1810-1840: Cockney Adventures. Cambridge University Press, 2012.
- O'Keeffe, Paul. A Genius for Failure: The life of Benjamin Robert Haydon. Random House, 2011.
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