Set within a bedroom, this scene takes Emma, Lady Hamilton, as its primary subject. Although previously a beautiful woman, Hamilton had gained much weight, which Gillray accentuates in his caricature. Rising from a curtained bed, the hugely overweight Hamilton, dressed in a nightgown and lace-trimmed cap, extends her arms and her right leg in anguish. Although depicted in a slightly grotesque manner, traces of Lady Hamilton’s beauty are still visible. Tears roll down her cheeks, and her gaze locks on the departing ships depicted through the open sash-window. She mourns over Nelson who sails away with the fleet. Behind Lady Hamilton in the bed, although slightly hidden by shadows, is her sleeping husband, William Hamilton.
Across the floor, in the lower right corner, are a selection of objects from William Hamilton’s collection, including statues of Venus and a Satyr, various coins and medals, and a laughing bust of Messalina. Set slightly to the left of the objects is an open book, the left page of which is inscribed with ‘Antiquities of Herculaneum Naples Caprea &c. &c. &c.’. Hamilton had acted as the British Envoy to the Kingdom of Naples and the Two Sicilies from 1764 to 1798, placing him in the region around the period in which Pompeii and Herculaneum were excavated. Antiquities from his collection emerged from these sites, on which he published works.
Although Lady Hamilton and Nelson’s daughter, Horatia, was born only a few days prior to Gillray’s caricature, it is extremely unlikely that Gillray was aware of the birth. In fact, Lady Hamilton kept secret the birth of their daughter for some time. Gillray, instead, was simply interested in the relationship between Nelson, Lady Hamilton, and her husband, William Hamilton. The 'ménage à trois' fascinated the public, and had become recognised internationally.
Gillray’s reference to Dido is particularly fitting. In Virgil’s Aeneid, Dido, the founder and queen of Carthage, and Aeneas, the Trojan-hero, fall in love. Aeneas, however, later follows orders sent by Jupiter and Mercury to gather his fleet and leave. Despaired, Dido curses Aeneas and the Trojans, and goes on to kill herself with the sword that Aeneas had given her. Gillray forms satirical parallels between Dido and Lady Hamilton, and between Nelson and Aeneas.
With regards to the composition, Gillray likely looked to a painting of the same name by Giovanni Battista Cipriani. Since the painting was completed in 1783, it hung in the collection of the Earl of Orford at Houghton, and was sold at Christie’s in 1990.