Satire, sewers and statesmen: why James Gillray was king of the cartoon

We tend to think that as history progresses, more and more taboos are broken and we're freer today to publish or lampoon ideas, people and events than in the past. One thing that's surprised me about satirical images from the 18th century is how bold they sometimes are.

For example, here's an anonymous cartoon from 1740 mocking Thomas Walpole - a prominent British politician and banker.

http://images.library.yale.edu/walpoleimages/dl/000000/lwlpr...

Here is a quote from a BBC documentary explaining the image: "There was a new force at work in Georgian society: satire. One of the Georgian age's most notorious images is Walpole's huge naked bottom blocking the way into the Treasury. To get on in 18th century government, this is what you had to kiss" [1]

[1] https://youtu.be/-EDmxfSydCw?t=50m18s