About your business

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Date of creation based on publication date of print. Published by S.W. Fores in November 1795 as “Deputy Pendulum’s motion for an address”; engraved by Isaac Cruikshank with Woodward’s name removed form lower left corner.

An ugly man in old-fashioned dress stands full-face, toes turned in, squinting, and looking downwards. An ‘Address’ is in his right hand, his left hand is in his breeches pocket; a document inscribed ‘Observations’ protrudes from his coat-pocket. His scanty audience of seven men, most of them sleeping, is behind him, on either side of a fireplace. A broken candle on the mantel drips wax into the mouth of one of the sleeping men (right), much to the amusement of his neighbour on his right. In the doorway on the far-left, one of the men uses a ear-trumpet; one holds a tea cup in his hand, and a third yawns. Over the chimney-piece is a large clock-face, the hands indicating 10:56; above it is a carved owl and the words ‘About your business’.

  • Artist: Woodward, G. M. (George Moutard), approximately 1760-1809, artist.
  • Title: About your business [drawing] / GM Woodward delin.
  • Published: [England], [1795]

Catalog Record & Digital Collection

Drawings W87 no. 56 Box D116

Acquired May 2013

A Catalanian pic nic society at private rehearsal

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Six members of the society sit in a row, each singing a different song. All are ugly and elderly except one lady who turns to her neighbour singing, “In sweetest harmony we live.” The latter, almost bald, sits on the extreme left, singing, “Time has not thinn’d my flowing hair.” A fat, ugly lady bawls towards her left hand neighbour: “Encompass’d in [an] angels frame.” He sings to her: “Together let us ran[ge] the fields.” A man with closed eyes from which tears fall, sings: “Said a smile to a tear what cause have you hear.” A gouty, old naval officer on the extreme right sings: “Oh exquisite harmony!! Music has charms to soften rocks and bend the knotted oak.” A dishevelled footman with a bottle in his coat-pocket walks from the right, tilting his salver of glasses so that they fall on a squalling cat. He sings tipsily: “From night till morn I take my glass I hopes to forget my Chloe!!” A dog on the left howls.

  • Printmaker: Cruikshank, Isaac, 1756?-1811?, printmaker.
  • Title: A Catalanian pic nic society at private rehearsal [graphic] / Woodward del. ; Cruikshank sp.
  • Published: [London] : Pubd. by T. Tegg, 111 Cheapside, March 12, 1807.

Catalog Record & Digital Collection

807.03.14.02+

Acquire April 2013

Deputy Pendulum’s motion for an address

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Eleven lines of text below image and above title: Gemmen, at the general meeting you impowered [sic] me …

Publisher’s advertisement following imprint: Folios of caracatures [sic] lent out for the evening.

  • Printmaker: Cruikshank, Isaac, 1756?-1811?, printmaker.
  • Title: Deputy Pendulum’s motion for an address [graphic] / IC.
  • Published: Lond. [i.e. London] : Pub. Nov. 29, 1795, by S.W. Fores, No. 50 Piccadilly, [29 November 1795]

Catalog record & Digital collection

795.11.29.01 Impression 2

Acquired May 2013