Publisher/Manufacturer: H.G. Bohn, London Publication Title: The Works of James Gillray from the Original Plates 1847-1851 Etching and engraving in black, with hand colour in watercolour, on white wove paper
259 x 359 mm. Purchase: Goldmark Gallery, Uppingham 2005
Caricature of Lady Hamilton (Emma Hart) in despair at the departure of Lord Nelson's flotilla to France. Lady Hamilton, caricatured as an overweight woman, wears a night gown and jumps from her bed with outstretched arms and a despondent face with tears. Behind the drapes of the bed sleeps her elderly husband, Sir William Hamilton, wearing a nightcap. On the right, is a dressing table with perfumes, jewellery, a pin cushion and a mirror, and, on the floor, ancient Roman antiquities including coins, a female nude, an open book, a bust of Messalina, a lion and a satyr? On the left are slippers, a ribbon, curtains and a window above a couch, the latter containing an open book (written by Lady Hamilton) featuring a picture of a reclining female nude. A flotilla of sailing ships heading out across the sea can be seen through the open window. Hand colour in watercolour in green, crimson, yellows and browns. Text on image, 'Studies of Academic Attitudes taken from the Life', 'Antiquities of Herculaneum, Naples & Caprea &c', 'Messalina', 'PRI[DE?]', 'TIBERIUS' and 'THE HERO OF THE NILE'. On the reverse is the etching, with stopping out, 'A Pair of Polished Gentlemen' - caricatures of two men in boots, their bodies completely shrunk, surrounded by potions and chemistry books