Company shocked at a Lady getting up to Ring the Bell.

James Gillray

Company shocked at a Lady getting up to Ring the Bell.

London, H. Humphrey Nov. 20^th 1804

Etching

Original hand-colouring

260x380mm

Trimmed to border

£850

The interior of a luxuriously furnished and decorated breakfast parlour. The only lady present, a handsome, obviously wealthy, young widow, wearing a plumed hat and yellow dress with lawn sleeves, has risen from her seat to pull the bell cord beside the fireplace. She holds out her hand to restrain the five elderly, ugly men (evidently her suitors) who scramble frantically to prevent her, but their efforts have produced a series of disasters. On the right a fat, goggle eyed country squire lunges forward, cutting through his neighbour’s (a fat, red nosed parson) wig with his knife, causing him to poke his fork with a lump of meat attached into his eye.  Behind them a man dressed as an attorney throws up his hands in horror, while on the left an elderly military officer upsets the tea urn,  and treads on his neighbour’s gouty foot, causing him to choke on his food and upset his chair, and tread on the dog’s tail with the other foot. In retaliation the dog bites the officer’s knee and clutches the tablecloth with its claws, causing the crockery and teapot to crash to the floor. The picture above the fireplace is of a plump cupid, whose arrows have fallen out of his quiver and who has shot himself through the leg. The room is decorated with gilt pilasters in the shape of palm trees, with elaborate candle sconces and a patterned carpet. The fare is boiled eggs, ham, egg and muffins. BM 10303.