Kit-Cat Club
The Kit -Cat Club was a London club in the early 18th century, were organized in which many members of the Whigs, who were politically and artistically active.
Objectives and Members
Politically advocated the club to strengthen the Parliament, the limitation of absolute monarchy, the resistance of the British crown against France and its political system and a Protestant succession to the British throne. Outwardly, the club stressed rather its role as a social meeting place. In the club wrong, inter alia, William Congreve, Joseph Addison, the painter Godfrey Kneller, John Vanbrugh and politicians such as Marlborough, Charles Seymour, Thomas Pelham- Holles and the temporary Prime Minister Robert Walpole.
History
The Vanbrugh biographer Downes speculated that the origins of the Kit - Cat Club back to the times before the Glorious Revolution, by James II to the English throne by William III. was replaced. Downes cites the Whig historian John Oldmixon, the many who knew of the coup participants and noted that many of the later members of the club before 1689 often met in a bar to talk.
The writer Horace Walpole, son of Kit -Cat Club member Robert Walpole argued that the respectable older members who were generally described as lounge lizards, " were in reality the patriots that Britain saved ," and pointed to the fact that the club members the true driving force behind the Glorious Revolution was. Political conspiracies of this kind are usually poorly documented, so it will probably stay here in the speculation.
The club member Godfrey Kneller created in over 20 years a total of 48 portraits of members of the club. Today these paintings form the most complete Memberlist this club. All paintings are in the format of 36 by 28 inches ( which is about 90 x 70 cm); they are now in the National Portrait Gallery in London.
Name of the club
The name of the club is called on Christopher Cat, shortly Kit Cat returned, who owned a restaurant in the Shire Lane near Temple Bar and its mutton pies were known as the Kit -Cats.
The KitKat chocolate bars to be due to the name of this club.