print;
satirical print
- Museum number
- 1881,0611.25
- Title
- Object: Inn yard at Calais
- Description
-
One of a set of prints on the humours of travel in France in 1790 or perhaps 1791, costume and architecture being realistically rendered. The courtyard of a large inn, probably Dessein's, with English visitors arriving, a post-chaise departing. A man at an open door bows obsequiously to two Englishmen who are about to enter. Two others talk to a coquettish girl who sells tricolour cockades; one, an old parson, chucks her under the chin. An Englishman (wearing a tricolour cockade) leans out angrily from the post-chaise to rate the postilion, on one of three wretched hacks harnessed abreast. The latter wears milk-churn boots grotesquely exaggerated. A barber (left), carrying a wig, collides with a cook who spills the contents of his pot over the wig. From a window leans an irate man looking at the ruin of his wig. A man in sabots but wearing ruffles enters (left) with luggage. A monk enters from the left. A peasant woman stands outside a window, a dog under each arm; from the window leans a young lady, holding the dog she has just bought. Other guests appear at windows. Through a space between two blocks of the building is seen a second courtyard in which is a large coach. See BMSats 8272-5. ? 1790 [See Inscription ? 1802]
Hand-coloured etching and aquatint
- Production date
- 1802
- Dimensions
-
Height: 480 millimetres
-
Width: 671 millimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- For more information on this series of prints, see David Bindman, "The Shadow of the Guillotine", (BMP, 1989, p.94). For this print, see also P. Bordes, 'Revue du Louvre' 1992 (4) p.57ff.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1881
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1881,0611.25