1862 (year of production) Wood engraving mounted on grey card
160 x 300 mm. Purchase: Puttick and Simpson Auctioneers, Leicester Square, London 1924
Doyle's 'Bird's-Eye Views of Society'- series consists of sixteen images which were published in Cornhill Magazine between April 1861 and October 1862. Doyle wrote humorous articles to accompany each image.
Interior scene: A group of gentlemen casually sitting at a long dining table smoking, eating and drinking. To the left are two waiters carrying trays with candle sticks and coffee cups and saucers respectively. At the rear is a large window with doors leading to the balcony outside facing a river that is busy with sailing and steam ships. Some men are standing on the balcony watching the river or facing the room. The rear wall is decorated with images of fish. There is a heap of discarded coats and top hats on the right-hand side. Doyle's initials are in the lower left-hand corner, the Dalziel signature in the lower right-hand corner. The paper yellowed with age, has some staining and two folds.