The fair in an uproar

Dancing Dogs

With a large woodcut below the title and preceding the letterpress text: Madamoiselle Javellot is shown on stage flanked on either side by chandeliers wtih her performing dogs in costumes in front and a musician in the background, left, behind the curtain.

  • Title: The fair in an uproar, or, The dancing-doggs : as they perform in Mr. Pinkeman’s new opera in Bartholomew Fair.
  • Published: London : Printed and sold by J. Morphew, near Stationers Hall, [1707?]

Catalog Record

707.00.00.01

Acquired September 2018

Jubilee Fair

Jubilee Fair. Detailed description below.

“View of the Jubilee Fair in Hyde Park; in foreground to left a small stage erected with a band playing and jesters performing, a small crowd stands in front, a few tents in central foreground with signs such as “Duke of Wellington Whitbreads Intire”, and on a lamp “Dancing and Singing Here”; beyond a crowd stands by river bank watching a sham sea fight, many sailing ships on water with smoke billowing from the scene, on the opposite river bank the fair continues.”–British Museum online catalogue.

  • Title: Jubilee Fair [graphic].
  • Publication: [London] : Published Sept. 10, 1814, by J. Pitts, No. 14 Great St. Andrew Street, Seven Dials, [10 September 1814]

Catalog Record

814.09.10.01++

Acquired September 2018

A Welch peasantry

title page. Additional description below

A series of ten prints showing the Welsh men, women and children in a variety of settings, mostly in rural landscapes with trees and wooden fences.

  • Author: Taylor, T. (Thomas), active 1804.
  • Title: A Welch peasantry / sketched from life by T. Taylor.
  • Published: [London] : Pubd. May 1, 1804, by Laurie & Whittle, 53, Fleet Street, London, [1 May 1804]

Catalog Record 

724 804T

Acquired September 2018

Duncan MacDonald, of the shire of Caithness Gent

A broadside on Duncan Macdonald, a Scottish acrobat

“A broadside on Duncan Macdonald, a Scottish acrobat; with an etching after a drawing by Louis Philippe Boitard showing Macdonald balancing on a wire, at his feet jack-boots, balancing on his right foot a wheel, a dish, a tray with 15 glasses, and a glass sphere, with his left index finger holding up a chair and a dog, balancing with his nose a sword, a pipe and two eggs, with his right hand playing a French horn and a trumpet, underneath the wire sword blades pointing upwards; with engraved title and inscription, and with letterpress text in two columns, and with a vertical segment of type ornament.”–British Museum online catalogue.

  • Title: Duncan MacDonald, of the shire of Caithness Gent. the celebrated Scotish equilibrist [graphic] / engrav’d from the original drawing by P. Boitard, & publish’d according to act of Parliamt. June 1753, by Fenwick Bull, map & printseller at [the] White Horse on Ludgate Hill.
  • Publication: [London] : [Fenwick Bull], [June 1753]

Catalog Record 

753.06.00.01+

Acquired September 2018

The stage medley

“Satire on the popularity of the Beggar’s Opera in the form of a medley print.”

  • Title: The stage medley [graphic] : representing the polite tast [sic] of the Town & the matchless merits of Poet G- Polly Peachum and Captn. Macheath.
  • Edition: [Second state].
  • Published: [England] : [publisher not identified], [April 1728]

Catalog Record 

728.04.00.01+

Acquired September 2018

Articles for a cock match

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An engraved broadside with a vignette of a cock match at the top.

  • Title: Articles for a cock match [graphic].
  • Publication: London : Printed and sold by Reginald Heber, publisher of the List of Horse Races, Henry Bennet Junr. and Harwen Martin, [1750s]

Catalog record 

750.00.00.88+

Acquired September 2018

The doctors in labour

Print with twelve panels relating to the affair of Mary Toft

Print with twelve panels relating to the affair of Mary Toft, “the rabbit breeder”: from top left, she is held aloft by two men and a Harlequin or Merry Andrew, she has a rabbit in either hand; she pursues a rabbit while working in a field; she dreams of being impregnated by rabbit, Cupid is shown on a cloud beside her bed holding a rabbit in either hand; she is seated in a chair attended by two women while the two men and Harlequin discuss the monstrous birth; Harlequin demonstrates that he can express milk from her breast; Harlequin feels “the rabbets leapin in her belly” while two men look on; she sits on the edge of a bed and Harlequin kneels to seize a rabbit that emerges from her skirts while a doctor raises his hands in surprise, wishing to anatomize the animal; Harlequin stands behind a table holding a balance in which he weighs dung removed from the rabbit explaining to two men that this will allow him to judge whether the animal had “breath’d in air”; doctors and midwives discuss the phenomenon around a table and Harlequin enters claiming that the birth must be “praeternatural”; a crowd of gentlemen are welcomed to the bagnio in Leicester Square where Toft is housed; two men spy from the door to Toft’s room as another hands her a dead rabbit; Toft, weeping, is led away to Bridewell by two constables while Harlequin “sits upon Repenting stool, Cursing his fate in being made a Fool. See British Museum online catalogue.

  • Title: The doctors in labour, or, A new whim wham from Guildford [graphic] : being a representation of [the] frauds by which [the] Godliman woman, carried on her pretended rabbit breeding; also of [the] simplicity of our doctors, by which they assisted to carry on that imposture discover’d their own skill, & contributed to [the] Mirth, of His Majesties liege subjects.
  • Published: [London?] : [publisher not identified], [1726]

Catalog Record 

726.00.00.26+

Acquired September 2018

Heraldic fan leaf

Paper fan with heraldry symbols

A heraldic fan leaf, a quick ready reference designed to interpret the status of British royalty and nobility with reasonable accuracy. Presumably the fan was intended as an accessory at the theatre, pleasure gardens and and other social events. The outer row contain heraldic charges beneath which are the crowns the Prince of Wales and various lesser crowned nobility; next are ‘Distinction of Houses’ and examples of ‘Knight of the Garter’ and ‘Commoner & his Lady’; next are ‘Points of Escutcheon’, ‘Metals & Colours’, ‘Furrs’ interspersed with how to distinguish a Bishop from and a Baronet and lastly there is a row of division of the field, very helpfully distinguishing between those men who have had 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 wives and and an heiress and possibly the future number 8.

  • Printmaker: Ovenden, T., active 1790-1813, printmaker.
  • Title: [Heraldic fan leaf] [graphic] / Ovenden sculpt.,Butcher Row.
  • Publication: [London] : Pubd. as the act directs Feby. 11, 1792, by F. Martin & Co., [11 February 1792]
  • Distribution: [London] : Sold by Sarah Ashton, Fan Maker, No. 28 Little

Catalog Record

792.02.11.01+

Acquired September 2018