Henry William Bunbury, second son of Sir William Bunbury, baronet of Mildenhall, was born on 1 July 1750. He began to demonstrate a skill for drawing humorous caricatures as a pupil at Westminster School and further honed his talents while undertaking the Grand Tour, having abandoned a degree at Cambridge to experience the wonders of Paris, Naples, and Rome. His travels inspired a series of drawings gently mocking the foreigners he had encountered (especially the French!) and Bunbury swiftly rose to become one of the most popular satirical artists of the Georgian era. A contemporary of James Gilray and Thomas Rowlandson, Bunbury's circle of friends also included such eminent figures as Sir Joshua Reynolds, Dr Samuel Johnson, and the actor David Garrick. Horace Walpole enthusiastically proclaimed Bunbury 'the second Hogarth' and he enjoyed the patronage of the Duke and Duchess of York, to whom he was appointed equerry in 1787.
Bunbury is perhaps best remembered for his entertaining book of equestrian misadventures, An academy for grown horsemen: containing the completest instructions for walking, trotting, cantering, galloping, stumbling, and tumbling. The work pokes fun at inept and unskilled riders and was published under the pseudonym Geoffrey Gambado. The supposed author, described as "Master of the Horse, Riding Master, and Grand Equerry to the Doge of Venice," is said to have sadly drowned at sea while embarking on his mission to teach proper equestrianism to the English. The text purports to include Gambado's sage advice to riders together with letters addressed to him by hapless horsemen desperately asking for his help. The work came complete with a series of charmingly engraved copperplate prints, together with a portrait of the 'author' on the frontispiece.
Unlike some of fellow satirists, Bunbury tended to avoid political subjects or personal attacks in his caricatures, preferring instead to use whimsical comedy to gently highlight the follies of Georgian society; with so many friends among the aristocratic and literary classes, he clearly had no desire to cause them any real offence. This light-hearted approach likely contributed significantly to the popularity of his works among both print-sellers and print collectors.
Demand was so great for The Academy for Grown Horsemen that it was was reissued several times within Bunbury's lifetime and his caricatures continue to be appreciated for their charm and wit. In the Cardiff Rare Books Collection we hold a copy of the second edition, printed in London in 1796 and featuring these delightful illustrations.
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