| Method | Etching with hand original colouring |
| Artist | after James Gillray |
| Published | London. Published by John Miller, Bridge Street & W. Blackwood, Edinburgh. c. 1824 |
| Dimensions | Image 223 x 190 mm, Plate 280 x 222 mm, Sheet 315 x 225 mm |
| Notes |
A reduced copy of a Gillray caricature. A petite man is dancing with a corpulent woman, he is holding onto a shawl around her waist, as he can't quite grasp her waist. In the background two other couples are dancing, a chandelier hangs above and a musician is playing a French horn from the gallery. The original design was published in 1800, and is an early example of waltzes being introduced into English ballrooms, were it would not become a common occurrence until a decade later. James Gillray (c.1756-1815), was a British caricaturist and printmaker famous for his etched political and social satires. Born in Chelsea, Gillray studied letter-engraving, and was later admitted to the Royal Academy where he was influenced by the work of Hogarth. His caricature L'Assemblée Nationale (1804) gained huge notoriety when the Prince of Wales paid a large sum of money to have it suppressed and its plate destroyed. Gillray lived with his publisher and print-seller Miss (often called Mrs) Humphrey during the entire period of his fame. Twopenny Whist, a depiction of four individuals playing cards, is widely believed to feature Miss Humphrey as an ageing lady with eyeglasses and a bonnet. One of Gillray's later prints, Very Slippy-Weather, shows Miss Humphrey's shop in St. James's Street in the background. In the shop window a number of Gillray's previously published prints, such as Tiddy-Doll the Great French Gingerbread Maker [...] a satire on Napoleon's king-making proclivities, are shown in the shop window. His last work Interior of a Barber's Shop in Assize Time, from a design by Bunbury, was published in 1811. While he was engaged on it he became mad, although he had occasional intervals of sanity. Gillray died on 1 June 1815, and was buried in St James's churchyard, Piccadilly. after BM Satires 9583 Condition: Trimmed within plate mark to the right edge. Good, clean impression with fine original hand colouring. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £200.00 |
| Stock ID | 47759 |