| Method | Etching |
| Artist | James Bretherton after Henry William Bunbury |
| Published | [7 December 1772] |
| Dimensions | Image 232 x 280, Sheet 262 x 305 mm |
| Notes |
A bleak scene showing a family sitting around a guttering candle. In an uncomfortable looking room a young boy struggles to stay awake over his reading. His grandmother is already asleep in her high backed chair, her husband in the chair beside her sleeps too, his legs stretched out under his protruding stomach. A cat and dog scrap at each other in the foreground. The boy's mother looks on at the scene, smiling. It is a struggle to see what comfort she finds in this scene. James Bretherton (fl. 1750-1799) was an etcher, dealer and publisher in London. His brother was Charles Bretherton. He is particularly associated with Henry William Bunbury, many of whose works he engraved and published. His stock of plates was auctioned in 1799. Henry William Bunbury (1750–1811) was an English caricaturist. He was the second son of Sir William Bunbury, 5th Baronet, of Mildenhall, Suffolk. He was educated at Westminster School and St Catharine's College, Cambridge, and soon showed a talent for drawing, especially for humorous subjects. His more serious efforts were no great success, but his caricatures are as famous as those of his contemporaries Thomas Rowlandson and James Gillray. His designs were usually etched by Darly and Bretherton, and (from 1780s) Dickinson. Ex. Col: Brigadier Noël Louis St Pierre Bunbury DSO (1890–1971) BM Satires 5084 Condition: Glue stains to corners. Foxing, particularly to top half. '63' inscribed to top right corner. Print trimmed through the publication line bottom. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £120.00 |
| Stock ID | 45681 |