Two grotesquely caricatured Frenchmen attacked by a swarm of bees. One (left), who is very lean,
wearing a bag-wig and the huge jackboots worn by French postilions, fires a pistol at the bees.
The other waves his hat, flourishing a cutlass; bees are in his hair, which stands on end, his
long pigtail queue streams out in the wind. On the extreme left appear the head and arms of a
Frenchman who appears to be lying on the ground; he has dropped his cane and is clasping his
hands, A small poodle also appears to be in distress. On the right is the sea, with fishing-boats.
On the edge of the shore is a Frenchman on a horse whose head, like that of his rider, is being
attacked by bees - the horse is kicking violently. In the distance on the left are soldiers, with
muskets, their officer on a horse. Beneath the title is engraved, "Mon Dieu they make my Hair all
stand on end."
This print shows how intensely the British viewed the French, thus it
is significant that this print was popular in 1780
(before the French Revolution in 1789)!
Note that this print was created by artist William Austin.
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