The eyes have it as plate tells a tale of libel and reform…
THE inscription Wilkes And Liberty No. 45 on this 9in (23cm) diameter Lambeth delftware portrait plate is as good as a date as it refers to the publication of the 45th issue of John Wilkes’ sharp-tongued periodical The North Briton.
First launched in 1761 as a satirical response to The Briton, the Earl of Bute’s toady ‘house’ magaz…