print;
satirical print
- Museum number
- 1851,0901.46
- Title
- Object: [Samuel House]
- Description
-
A stout publican with a completely bald head stands outside his house, legs astride, a tankard with an open lid in the right hand, a long pipe in the other. He faces three-quarters to the right. On the tankard is a monogram, "S. H." Behind him is a large barrel, on which is scrawled "No Pope", a relic or reminder of the Gordon Riots. Two windows of the house are visible; in one (right) two men are sitting, one smoking a long pipe. From the other (left) a man leans to vomit. On a seat under the window (right) a man sits smoking a pipe and holding a tankard. A bird-cage hangs on the wall. 1 September 1780
Etching
- Production date
- 1780
- Dimensions
-
Height: 235 millimetres (cropped)
-
Width: 188 millimetres (cropped)
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- (Description and comment from M.Dorothy George, 'Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum', V, 1935)
A portrait of Sam House, the Wardour Street publican and politician. He was a well-known character and always dressed in the same way, as he is here depicted: no wig, no coat, a black waistcoat with sleeves, clean linen never buttoned at the collar, breeches always open at the knee, fine silk stockings or bare legs, and neat black slippers. 'Life & Political opinions of the late Sam House' [1785], the frontispiece to which is an etched portrait of House by Rowlandson. (B.M.L. 1419. b. 13.) See also 'Gent. Mag.', 1785, p. 326.
On the print is written in a contemporary hand "the first man who jumped off Westminster Bridge. He was a wellknown partisan of Mr Charles Fox in Westminster".
House was much caricatured in prints of the Westminster election of 1784. He kept open house for Fox during elections. He is said to have "commenced politician" in 1763 in support of Wilkes and liberty, and to have been much distressed at the coalition between North and Fox. He was a bird-fancier, op. cit. See BMSat 5697 and index.
Grego, 'Rowlandson', i. 98-9.
(Supplementary information)
See also BMSat 5697, a copy published by Rowlandson and Jones on September 18th 1780.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1851
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1851,0901.46