Keep within compass

description below

“A young woman stands within a compass inscribed ‘Fear God’, holding an open book inscribed ‘The Pleasures of Imagination Realized’. At her feet is an open chest full of guineas from which hang bank-notes and jewels; it is inscribed ‘The Reward of Virtue’. A small dog stands beside her. In the background (right) is a country house, on the left farm-buildings and haystacks. The four corners are filled … with the disasters which beset the woman who does not ‘keep within compass’. (1) A woman weeps dejectedly with cards and an empty purse on the ground at her feet. (2) A drunken woman lets an infant fall from her arms; on the wall is a torn print inscribed ‘Domestic Happiness’. (3) A woman is being conducted to the watch-house by two watchmen, one with his lantern, the other with a rattle. (4) She beats hemp in Bridewell, a man standing behind her with a whip, as in Hogarth’s ‘Harlot’s Progress’. …”–British Museum

  • Title: Keep within compass [graphic] : Prudence produceth esteem.
  • Publication: [London] : Printed for & sold by Bowles & Carver, No. 69 in St. Paul’s Church Yard, London, published as the act directs, [not after 1832]

Catalog Record

832.00.00.53

Acquired April 2024

Facing Allmack’s. EO table, No. 81 Pall Mall, for gold and silver

printed business card

Printed trade card advertising gambling at an EO table.

  • Title: Facing Allmack’s. EO table, No. 81 Pall Mall, for gold and silver.
  • Publication: [London] : [publisher not identified], [1780s?]

Catalog Record

File 66 780 Al444

Acquired November 2023

A collection of Georgian-era gaming counters issued by London clubs…

small, round coin

A collection of six gaming counters or monetary tokens from the gambling houses and clubs of Georgian London. Four were made by John Milton (signed “J. Milton f.” or “J.M” on the smaller pieces) with an ace of spades encircled with the quote “Honi soit qui mal y pense”, wreathed and crowned. The two others by Milton have on the obverse the initials “S.F.” (S. Fiuri, in Bury Street St. Mary Axe) and the date “1 May 1792” and a value of “XII” or “VI”. The two other Milton counters are marked “S&L” indicating Smith & Lockwood and the other “JL” for John Lister in Haymarket. Another small token in white metal issued by the “Cocoa Tree” with the value on the obverse “One guinea”. The last counter in gilt-brass issued by “Free Mason Tavern” and marked “462′ in the center and on the obverse “M. Richold Guina.” with laurels above and below.

  • Title: A collection of Georgian-era gaming counters issued by London clubs and gaming houses.
  • Production: [England], [approximately 1790-1820]

Catalog Record

66 790 C697

Acquired November 2023

 

The Greeks : a poem “Venu de France d’une manière inconnue

printed title page

  • Title: The Greeks : a poem “Venu de France d’une manière inconnue ; ” dedicated to all the legs! with notes containing the arcana of greeking at play ; and sketches of the most illustrious Greeks! / by the author of the Pigeons, Fashion, &c. …
  • Edition: Twelfth edition.
  • Published: London : Printed for J.J. Stockdale, 1817.

Catalog Record

763 817 G793

Acquired December 2021

The Greeks defended : illustrative of the morality of a ruined blackleg

printed title page

  • Author: Titled Greek.
  • Title: The Greeks defended : illustrative of the morality of a ruined blackleg … with notes containing some very good materials for the biography of certain notorious blacklegs, amongst whom is the cowardly author of The Greeks / by a titled Greek.
  • Publication: London : Printed by James Johnston, 98, Cheapside, and may be had of all booksellers, [1817]

Catalog Record

763 817 G793

Acquired December 2021

The Pigeons

printed title page

  • Title: The Pigeons : dedicated to all the flats, and showing the artifices, success and crimes of gaming, gamesters and gambling houses … / by the author of the Greeks ; illustrated with six coloured plates.
  • Edition: Third edition.
  • Publication: London : Printed for J.J. Stockdale, No. 41, Pall-Mall, 1817.

Catalog Record

763 817 G793

Acquired December 2021

The perpetual almanack, or, Gentleman soldier’s prayer book

description below

Printed in two columns with a woodcut at the head of each column, and playing cards surrounding text.

  • Title: The perpetual almanack, or, Gentleman soldier’s prayer book : shewing how one Richard Middleton was taken before the Mayor of the City he was in, for using cards in church during Divine Service : being a droll, merry, and humurous account of an odd affair that happened to a private soldier, in the 60th Regiment of Foot.
  • Publication: [London] : J. Catnach, printer, 2 & 3, Monmouth-Court, 7 Dials, [1837 or 1838]

Catalog Record

File 68 837 P453+

Acquired June 2021

Banditti

description belowThe Coalition ministers are gathered around the table placed in the mouth of a cave. On the left sits Lord North wearing armor under his cloak, a goblet in his left hand. Opposite him on the right is Charles Fox, dressed as a centurion and sitting on a fox. He leans on the table keeping his right hand on three dice signed, “Madras,” “Bombay,” and “Bengal,” and clutching a dice box in his left. Behind him Admiral Keppel, the date of the battle of Ushant (1778) on his helmet, raises his goblet in a toast. Behind him Sheridan, with ass’s ears and “School for Scandal” written across his head cover, watches the Duke of Portland count out money to Lord Carlisle. On Portland’s shoulder leans Lord Cavendish in a centurion’s armor under his cloak. Between him and North sits Burke in a Jesuit’s outfit reading his own “Plan of oeconomy [sic].” Under the table lie the corpses of Lords Shelburne and Ashburton, ousted by the Coalition.

  • Printmaker: Boyne, John, approximately 1750-1810, printmaker.
  • Title: Banditti [graphic] / I.B.
  • Publication: [London] : Published by E. Hedges No. 92 Cornhill, Dec. 22, 1783.

Catalog Record

783.12.22.03.2+ Impression 2

Acquired December 2019

Ruin’d at a gaming table

description belowCopy (not reversed) of the first state of Plate 6th of Hogarth’s ‘The Rake’s Progress’ (Paulson 137): Interior of a gambling house in Covent Garden where Tom has fallen, raving, on one knee having lost his money at dice; behind him a chaotic group of gamblers, most of whom fail to notice that flames and smoke are pouring over the panelling and through the door (left); to right, a highwayman (a gun and mask in his pocket) sits beside the hearth ignoring a small boy who offers him a drink, on the wall is a handbill advertising “R. Tustian Card Maker” — British Museum online catalogue. On the lower left, a man is entering a note of a loan to Lord Cogg for £500. A dog with a color “Covent Gar[den]” barks at Tom.

  • Title: Ruin’d at a gaming table [graphic].
  • Publication: [London] : Publish’d wth. [the] consent of Mrs. Hogarth, by Henry Parker, at No. 82 in Cornhill, March 25, 1768.

Catalog Record

Hogarth 768.03.25.06+ Box 210

Acquired December 2019

Idleness

In a churchyard four young men, one of whom is a boot-black, play a game of hustle-cap on a tomb; a beadle raises his cane to strike them; in the foreground skulls and bones and an open grave; beyond, the congregation enters the church.

  • Title: Idleness [graphic].
  • Publication: [Alnwick] : Printed and published by W. Davison, Alnwick, [between 1812 and 1817]

Catalog Record 

812.00.00.113

Acquired September 2019