Everybody loves a funny cartoon - and we are particularly amused if some politician or celebrity receives his or her comeuppance in the process. However the ignominy that modern day politicians suffer is as nothing compared to the treatment that some of their predecessors received in the 18th and 19th centuries.

In this talk, specially put together for schools, Ian shows numerous examples of hilarious prints.

However behind all of this is a serious purpose: to trace the importance of satirical prints, from the 1720s to the 1830s, in a period before illustrations began to appear in books and journals. The change in style from the didactic and moralistic prints of Hogarth through to the brilliant, but cruel, mocking caricatures of the likes of James Gillray and George Cruikshank, is highlighted.

And the prints selected are those that focus on the culturally significant moments in the 1700s and 1800s, so that pupils understand the tie-in between art and history and politics.

Above all, though, this is a visual treat; a world not just before moving pictures (television, film & youtube) but also before photography - when the satirical print was both the News and Have I got News for You rolled into one.