Aquatint
Drawing
An old woman dressed in her nightcap and gown, her one breast hanging exposed from her gown, climbs into bed in which her husband already lies. She expels gas from her bottom in the direction of the candle on the ground in front of the fireplace with such force that it lifts the cat off the ground and bends the candle. Above the fireplace is a broadside entitled: The storm by Mr. Dodd, cease rude boreas balstering railes … On the table below the window (left) is a bowl labeled “Pease porridge” and a wig on a stand. On the ground at her feet lies a corset, shoes and other garments. Above the bed are boxed and breeches; a man’s coat is hung on the back of the chair to the right of the hearth.
- Creator: Nixon, John, -1818, artist.
- Title:A patent extinguisher, being a safe & easy mode of putting out a candle.
- Production:[London, ca. July 1801]
Catalog Record & Digital Collection (Aquatint)
Catalog Record & Digital Collection (Drawing)
801.07.00.05+ & Drawings N736 no. 7
Acquired July 2016
In seven scenes in a design of two tiers, citizens dispute the oppressive fees imposed by a zealous tax collector who taxes bugs, pets, a bulbous nose and a runny nose, corns on a foot, and a man’s skin. In the scene on the upper right, the tax collector penalizes a man whom he accuses of evading tax as he defecates in a bush.
