Rowlandson the Caricaturist; a Selection from His Works. Vol. 2 by Joseph Grego

the Grisette's _Magasin des Modes_. The plate is delicately etched. Yorick is seated beside the pretty milliner; the complaisant husband is bowing, grimacing, and attitudinising. A poodle is on a settee. Two blocks, hat and cap moulds, are, with bandboxes, robes, &c., scattered around. Outside is seen a glimpse of the quaint antiquated French street life, such as might be encountered by the sentimental traveller before the Revolution:--priests, monks, portresses, &c., with images of saints at the street corners. On August 15, 1800, Mr. Ackermann issued at his Repository of Arts, 101 Strand, a series of six plates designed and etched in Rowlandson's boldest and most spirited style; and finished and coloured in almost exact imitation of the original drawings. Each plate contains three large distinct heads, festooned with attributes peculiar to the respective designs. It is not very clear whether these symbolical groupings, which are superior in execution to the average of Rowlandson's published works, were devised to be cut up for scrap-books, screens, or wall borderings; but they have become remarkably scarce since the date of publication, and sets of these typical heads (eighteen in all) are rarely met with at the present date. _Philosophorum._--The head of the philosopher closely resembles the conventional portrait accorded to Father Time, horn spectacles, forelock, grey beard and all. The globe, a sextant, mariner's compass, chart, telescope, dividers, bells, squares, thermometers, &c., make up the symbolical garland which depends from the ears of this emblem of knowledge. _Fancynina._--This figure is borne out by one of the artist's favourite types of female beauty, a well-featured, handsomely made and languishing-looking young lady, wearing a modish hat, all feathered, beaded, and flowered. The portrait of _Fancynina_ is festooned with such emblems of feminine frivolity as French rouge, Court sticking-plaister (for patches), ottar of roses, watches and trinkets, miniatures of admirers, an opera glass, a black domino or half-mask, a huge muff, parasol, fan, &c. _Epicurum._--An old gourmand in a red nightcap, whose flushed and blossoming countenance appears through a goodly string of sausages; a gridiron, a basting ladle, a cucumber, and other indications of creature comforts complete the emblems of this figure. _Penserosa._--The head of a tragic performer, modelled on that of one of the Gorgones is used to illustrate this figure. The Medusa head is entwined with serpents, and wreathed below with a festoon of bays, beneath which hang the dagger and bowl, and the manuscript of _Penserosa's_ tragic part. _Tally ho! rum!_--The head of a Nimrod, backed with a huntsman's cap, is the sign-piece of this figure; a _corne de chasse_ is hung round the sportsman's neck, and on it are spurs, horseshoes, whips, a gun, powder-flask, and game bag; a fox's head completes the group of emblems distinctive of _Tally ho! rum!_ _Allegoria._--The head of a rubicund, but young and well-featured, Bacchus does duty for _Allegoria_; heavy clusters of vine-leaves, and bunches of purple grapes and tendrils crown and surround the bucolic divinity; below is a Silenus mask; bacchanalian flutes, and pipes of Pan, complete the insignia. _Physicorum._--The face of a lean, high-dried, and sharp-featured doctor, with a high, white wig, and a profusion of horsehair curls, figures forth _Physicorum_ with proper character; festoons of bottles of medicine, soporific, strengthening, emollient, purging and sleeping draughts in all varieties, boxes of pills, ointments, drops, prescriptive puffs, quackeries, and the inevitable syringe and clyster pipe, make up the attributes of the physician. _Nunina._--The head of a rosy-cheeked and buxom Nun, her eyes devoutly raised to realms above. Beneath the portrait the crowned and ghastly skull of King Death, a book of devotions, a _flagellum_ for discipline, a crucifix, hour-glass and rosary, and other pious symbols are displayed. _Publicorum._--The face of a fat and rubicund-visaged landlord does duty as the emblem of _Publicorum_; as may be supposed, the symbols of this personage consist mainly of convivial attributes--tobacco-boxes, pipes, bottles of rum, brandy, and rack; a tankard, limes, lemons, a punchbowl, ladle, &c. _Funeralorum._--The head of a professional mourner, with long crape streamers round his hat, and a mourning cloak. _Funeralorum_ is surrounded by such cheerful attributes as funeral sermons, advertisements of interments, and invitations to the same, burial fees, titles, last wills and testaments, hatchments, Yorick's skull, an hour-glass, and a sexton's pick and spade. _Virginia._--The head of a soured and malignant-looking old maid, whose favourite parrot is screaming in her ear. The vixenish face is festooned with suppositious attributes of old spinsterhood--a group of boxes of snuff, corn-plaisters, padlocks, pincushions, cats-meat, anonymous letters, drops for the colic; while a bag for 'winnings at _quadrille_' is displayed on the _Scandalous Magazine_, beside which are perched two spitting and caterwauling old tom-cats. _Hazardorum._--The head given as representative of _Hazardorum_ wears a very disconsolate and downcast look; fortune has not favoured the gambler, as is figuratively evinced by a purse turned upside down, from which the contents are escaping, mortgage-deeds, annuity bonds, _Hoyle on Chances_, a betting book, a game cock, rackets, dice and a dice-box. _The Racing Calendar_, playing cards, billiard cues, a loaded pistol, and other suggestive emblems supply the features of _Hazardorum_. _Battlcorum._--The head of a fierce-looking warrior, with plumed hat, sets forth _Battlcorum_; warlike attributes surround the stern hero, whose face is grim as war itself. Chain-shot, pistols, shot-belts, a cartouche box, bayonet, sword, gun, drum. &c., help out the martial figure and assist its due signification. _Billingsgatina_ displays the face of a buxom young fish-girl, topped with a sailor's straw hat, and surrounded by evidences of her fishy profession: strings of eels, lobsters, crabs, cod, oysters, and fish-baskets are introduced to support the character of _Billingsgatina_. _Trafficorum_ is represented by a long-haired, hook-nosed, shrewd-eyed Jew pedlar, wearing an unkempt beard; round his neck hangs the suggestive hawker's box, with the multifarious contents of the pack displayed; scissors, tape, ribands, spectacles, purses, razors, combs, knives, forks and spoons, watches, trinkets, necklaces, ear-rings, buckles, and an infinity of similar articles, disclose the identity of _Trafficorum_. _Barberorum._--The head of a French hair-dresser does duty for this figure; a comb is stuck in the lengthy locks, and a white apron is pinned under the shaven chin. Implements properly pertaining to the barber's calling are introduced to form a trophy; a string of wigs of all colours and shapes, a block, powder-bags, curling-irons, tongs, combs, scissors, tooth brushes, razors and Packwood's strops, flasks of scent, eau de Luce, lotions, boxes of pommades, rouge, &c., furnish forth emblemata of the hair-dressing _Barberorum_. _Flora_ is represented by a sweetly innocent flower-seller, whose soft and winning face appears above clusters of roses, lilies, tulips, bluebells, and other flowers, while beneath the attributes of _Flora_ are completed by a basket of fruits and vegetables. _Lawyerorum_ very significantly closes the series of emblematical heads. The counsel is a hard-featured, sharp, close, shrewd, and long-headed looking individual, attired in his horsehair wig, and festooned around with the sweets of his profession--_Affidavits_, _Subpoenæ_, _Perjuries_, _Bankrupts enlarged_, '_Wills made on the shortest notice_,' _Writs of Error_, _Clausum Friget_, _Bills of Costs_, _Declarations_, _Actions between John Doe and Richard Roe_, _Warrants for assaults_, _Habeas Corpus_, _Suits in Chancery_, _Lists of Informations_, _Quirks_, _Quibbles_, _Briefs_, _Title-deeds_, _Statutes at large_, bags of _causes_, ponderous legal volumes; the emblemata are significantly supported by a well-filled brief bag, plethoric with 'cash received on clients' accounts, not paid over.'