A – Mistake

William Heath (Paul Pry)

A – Mistake

London, G Jones March 10^th 1829

Etching

Original hand colouring

250 x 350 mm

£280

A rare Heath satire.

On the pavement outside a pawnshop are a man selling pamphlets and a woman with household goods tied up in two handkerchiefs. The man is a ragged shambling scarecrow, tall and thin, with a battered top-hat, shock of hair, and huge whiskers (signs of dandyism). On his tall pole is a placard ‘NO POPERY’, the latter word bisected by the pole. He squints downwards, saying, ‘a full account of the Interest taken by the whole House’. The woman, stout and proletarian, wearing a red cloak and an apron, looks up at the placard, saying, ‘No Pop–ery eh? I suppose since Old Grindall’s Sons got into the Parliament, they are asham’d of their Trade–well there is plenty of other pop-ery’s about–& as to Interest they always took enough of that you ugly Scarecrow.’ On the closed shop-door (left) are the three balls sign and Pawnbrokers ‘[M]oney Lent’. In the window hang watches, &c. The cobbled roadway leads (right) towards the arched entrance of a narrow alley: ‘Poppings Court’.