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

Print
20/11/1804 (published)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Set within a breakfast parlour, this rather frantic caricature captures the moment in which a cascade of violent disasters occur, all of which are set in motion by the woman to the right rising from her chair to tug a bell-pull. Likely that the men are the potential suitors of the woman, who is possibly a rich widow, the men attempt to stop her pulling the bell herself, as though in some effort to prove their worth. Their feeble attempts, however, simply result in disastrous occurrences.
In the centre of the breakfast table, a large urn is overturned, pouring boiling water over the plump man seated to the right. Shocked, he stabs himself in the eye with a large piece of food on the end of his fork. Behind him, another man rushes towards the woman, attempting to seize the bell rope with his left hand. Completely unaware of his surroundings, he plants a knife through the wig of the man stabbing himself in the eye. Crockery and cutlery fly to the floor, whilst the contents of a full tea-pot are emptied onto an unsuspecting dog in front of the table. The dog stretches out its right paw, beginning to drag the tablecloth to the floor, whilst biting the right knee of the man dressed in regimentals. It almost appears as though the man being bit by the dog is unaware of the animal clasped onto him. Instead, his focus is locked on the woman. Launching himself from his seat, with his arms outstretched in front of him, he forces his left leg backwards, and places his foot down heavily on the gouty foot of the man seated behind him. The gout ridden man, with his mouth overfilled with food, grasps onto the officer’s pigtail for balance, whilst flailing with a knife is his right hand. Watching over is a fifth man, whom stands behind the table. With raised hands, and shrugged shoulders, the man remains excluded from the catastrophe.
Set to the right of the composition, hanging above the fireplace, is a framed picture of Cupid shooting his bow and arrow. The image mirrors the absurdity of the suitors, with Cupid’s quiver turned upside down, and one of his own arrows buried in his left leg.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleCompany shocked at a Lady getting up to Ring the Bell. (published title)
Materials and techniques
Etching with hand colouring
Brief description
A hand coloured, etched caricature set within a breakfast parlour, with a cascade of violent disasters occuring.
Physical description
Hand coloured, etched caricature of a woman and five men around a table, with the woman standing to the right. A door is set to the left, and a fireplace to the right. The caricature is set within a white, yellow, and grey border, with title, publication line, and artist's name inscribed within border.
Dimensions
  • Image height: 228mm
  • Image width: 356mm
  • Plate height: 253mm
  • Plate width: 381mm
  • Sheet height: 291mm
  • Sheet width: 438mm
Content description
A woman and five men are depicted around a table, with the woman standing to the right pulling upon a bell rope. Four of the five men around the table are shown being injured in various ways, whilst the final man watches on whilst shrugging his shoulders.
Style
Production typeUnlimited edition
Credit line
Bequeathed by John Jones
Object history
Object originally bound in a guard-book containing one hundred and fifteen caricatures by T. Rowlandson, W. Heath, J. Gillray, R. Dighton, G. Cruikshank and others
Summary
Set within a breakfast parlour, this rather frantic caricature captures the moment in which a cascade of violent disasters occur, all of which are set in motion by the woman to the right rising from her chair to tug a bell-pull. Likely that the men are the potential suitors of the woman, who is possibly a rich widow, the men attempt to stop her pulling the bell herself, as though in some effort to prove their worth. Their feeble attempts, however, simply result in disastrous occurrences.
In the centre of the breakfast table, a large urn is overturned, pouring boiling water over the plump man seated to the right. Shocked, he stabs himself in the eye with a large piece of food on the end of his fork. Behind him, another man rushes towards the woman, attempting to seize the bell rope with his left hand. Completely unaware of his surroundings, he plants a knife through the wig of the man stabbing himself in the eye. Crockery and cutlery fly to the floor, whilst the contents of a full tea-pot are emptied onto an unsuspecting dog in front of the table. The dog stretches out its right paw, beginning to drag the tablecloth to the floor, whilst biting the right knee of the man dressed in regimentals. It almost appears as though the man being bit by the dog is unaware of the animal clasped onto him. Instead, his focus is locked on the woman. Launching himself from his seat, with his arms outstretched in front of him, he forces his left leg backwards, and places his foot down heavily on the gouty foot of the man seated behind him. The gout ridden man, with his mouth overfilled with food, grasps onto the officer’s pigtail for balance, whilst flailing with a knife is his right hand. Watching over is a fifth man, whom stands behind the table. With raised hands, and shrugged shoulders, the man remains excluded from the catastrophe.
Set to the right of the composition, hanging above the fireplace, is a framed picture of Cupid shooting his bow and arrow. The image mirrors the absurdity of the suitors, with Cupid’s quiver turned upside down, and one of his own arrows buried in his left leg.
Bibliographic reference
BM Satires 10303
Collection
Accession number
1232:60-1882

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Record createdJune 8, 2009
Record URL
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