Description:
Hand-colored print titled "Behaviour at Table" depicting four dining scenes caricaturing unrefined behavior at the dinner table; and printed at bottom, "Woodward Del Pubd. Aug 25 1808 by Thos. Tegg III Cheapside Rowlandson scut." The print was made by the caricaturist and watercolourist, Thomas Rowlandson (1757-1827), after a drawing by George Moutard Woodward (1760-c.1808), the painter/draughtsman; and published by Thomas Tegg (1776-1846). The four scenes include: 1) "Place your elbows on the table like a / Church Warden at a parish vestry." In this scene, there are three men and two women seated around a round, uncovered table with dessert, wine glasses and two decanters of wine. The man on the the far left rests his chin on his hands with his elbows on the table as the women next to him glares at him; the man in blue in the center ignores everyone; the man and woman on the right face the man on the left; and the dog in front of the table stares at the man on the left in disbelief. 2) "Stretch your arms across the table to get at what / best suits your appetite." There are two men and two women seated around a round table with a tablecloth and plates, food, and utensils. The man in orange on the left reaches across the table to cut himself another piece from a roast bird placed in front of the hostess who glares at him. The two others stare angrily at the man on the left. 3) "Cough and yawn over the Dishes." There are two men and two women seated around a round table with a tablecloth and plates, food, and utensils. The man in purple on the left coughs over the fowl on the platter in front of him as he carves it; the man in blue next to him also coughs; and the women in white and man in orange seated on the right look sternly at the man on the left. 4) "Loll on two chairs while making use of/ your toothpick." There are two men seated across from each other next to a small, uncovered table with a decanter and two wine glasses. The younger man in pink on the left picks his teeth with a toothpick as he sits with his feet up on the chair pushed towards the older man in red on the right looking at him in disgust. This satirical print was used to educate people about what not to do at a proper dinner table at this time. According to Joseph Grego in 1880: "The author offers four excellent directions touching the genteel 'behaviour expected at table,' and if his injunctions were strictly carried out, there is no question that his pupils would be accepted in every society as remarkably polished and well-bred young gentlemen, who had studied Lord Chesterfield's 'advice' to some purpose ; perfect ornaments, indeed, to any company amongst which they might find themselves, and desirable patterns for imitation."
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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2002.36 |
