"A man in ragged but quasi-fashionable dress rides (right to left) an ass through a river which flows past a steep mountain. The animal jibs, with ears set back; the rider raises a whip in each hand. He wears, and uses, three pairs of spurs, and attached to his shoulders and to the ass is a monstrous pile of bladders inscribed respectively 'Repartee', 'Nonsensical Verses', 'Catastrophe', 'Sentiment', 'Blasphemies', 'Puns', 'Duels', 'Double Entendres', 'Metaphors', 'Ghosts', 'Melting Speeches', 'Squibs', 'Dialogue', 'Daggers Poisons'."--British Museum online catalogue, description of the print engraved after this drawing and A rough pencil sketch of the same design but lacking much of the detail on the verso
Alternative Title:
Dramatic author foiled in his endeavor to ascend Parnassus
Description:
Title written below image, in the artist's hand., Unsigned; artist attribution from statement of responsiblity "Giles Grinagain in. et f." present on the print made after this drawing., Date surmised from that of the print based on this drawing., Giles Grinagain is possibly a pseudonym of Samuel Howitt. See British Museum online catalogue., and Original design for a print first published by S. Howitt in 1802 and then reissued by S.W. Fores in 1804. Changes in the printed version include the replacement of the word "endeavor" in the title with "attempt," and the elimination of the speech bubble emanating from the man. Cf. No. 10334 in the Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum, v. 8.
Volume 1, page 21. Original drawings of heads, antiquities, monuments, views, &c. by George Vertue
Image Count:
1
Resource Type:
still image
Alternative Title:
Thomas Cavendish, navigator
Description:
Title from contemporary notes below image., Date supplied by cataloger., With a partly legible pencil annotation in upper right corner: Ao. 1594 [...?]., Laid down on an ink line mount., and Mounted on page 21 in a volume of ca. 50 drawings that was assembled from works purchased by Horace Walpole at the Vertue sale of 1757. Now bound in red morocco, this volume has Walpole's manuscript title-page: Original drawings of heads, antiquities, monuments, views, &c. by George Vertue and others.
Four ugly old women try to scrub a black man white with brushes, a kettle of boiling water, as steam billows around the room. A fifth woman brings buckets of hot water. A sixth, in the center background, drinks gin. The black man squats in a big tub, with a pained expression on his face
Description:
Title inscribed beneath central image., Attributed to George Cruikshank., Date inferred from the 1827 publication date of George Cruikshank's Illustrations of time, plate 3 of which includes a smaller version of the central image. Cf. No. 15472 in the Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum, v. 10., Image also used in Plate 3 of Cruikshank's 'Illustrations of Time'; the attempt to 'wash a black man white' was a traditional example of an impossible task., and On paper watermarked "J. Whatman 1821".
Subject (Topic):
Black people, Ethnic stereotypes, Racism, Wash tubs, and Brooms & brushes
The first drawing in a series of twelve on modern morals, a tradition established earlier in the 18th century by artists such as William Hogarth. In this series, twin brothers are bestowed an equal fortune. One brother, Edward, husbands his wealth and on his death, passes on his fortune; whilst the other brother, Charles, squanders his, leaving his family destitute and In this first drawing, blind Fortune stands on a wheel with large bags in each hand. The brother on the left, Edward, kneels as he accepts the gift from Fortune. Behind him in the mid-distance a couple is shown depositing coins in the hat of a beggar while in the far distance is a church. The brother on the right, Charles, stands arrogantly with his left hand on his hip as he accepts his good fortune. On the right in the mid-distance a couple is shown riding in an elegant carriage; in the distance is a large house with grain (?) pouring from the loft unattended
Description:
Title from pencil notes below image., Text in faint pencil above image: Twelve prints representing the contrast between virtuous harmony and vicious extravagance., Signed "Dodd" in lower left and numbered '1' in ink in the upper right., Date range based on artist's active dates., and For further information, consult library staff.
Subject (Topic):
Fortune, Allegorical drawings, Brothers, Parables, and Wealth
Title derived from verse written in ink below image., Inscription in ink., This electronic record is derived from historic data and may not reflect our current information. Review and updating of records is ongoing., and Temporary local subject terms: Corns.
Title written in ink at center margin, Artist's name in ink at lower right., Pencil notation verso, "By Robert Cruikshank not signed by him ND 1830"., and This electronic record is derived from historic data and may not reflect our current information. Review and updating of records is ongoing.
Page 173. Portfolio containing 50 drawings by Lady Diana Beauclerk and her daughter Mary, Miss
Image Count:
1
Resource Type:
still image
Description:
Title devised by curator., Artist's name and date written in ink in lower left corner., and Mounted on page 173 in a volume containing Horace Walpole's extra-illustrated copy of his Description of the villa of Horace Walpole (Hazen 2523) and his Catalogue of pictures and drawings in the Holbein Chamber at Strawberry-Hill (Hazen 2619.4). Part of the collection: Portfolio containing 50 drawings by Lady Diana Beauclerk and her daughter Mary, Miss Sebright, Miss Knight, Mrs. Damer, John Gooch, Samuel Lysons, Sir Edward Walpole, and Thomas Walpole (Hazen 3641).
Opposite title page of Poems by Anna Chamber. Loose pieces printed at Strawberry Hill.
Image Count:
1
Resource Type:
still image
Abstract:
Portrait head, in profile to the left
Description:
Title devised by curator., Unsigned; artist unidentified., Date of production based on Thomas Kirgate's death date; this drawing was presumably inserted in the volume before it was sold at Kirgate's sale following his death in 1810., Sheet numbered "24" in pencil in lower right., and Mounted opposite title page of Poems by Anna Chamber, in a volume with the binder's title: Loose pieces printed at Strawberry Hill.
Subject (Name):
Temple, Anne Grenville-Temple, Countess, 1709-1777,
Volume 2. Original drawings of heads, antiquities, monuments, views, &c. by George Vertue and
Image Count:
2
Resource Type:
still image
Description:
Title devised by curator., Date supplied by cataloger., Contemporary annotation in ink on verso: This is the portrait of Antony Wood, the biographer of Oxford, drawn after a painting by George Vertue., One of eight portrait drawings that were probably among the works purchased by Horace Walpole at the Vertue sale of 1757. A volume of ca. 50 additional drawings from this collection, now bound in red morocco, has Walpole's manuscript title-page: Original drawings of heads, antiquities, monuments, views, &c. by George Vertue and others., and Laid down on a wash-line mount, with a border of gold paint around the drawing.