File:1799-Belvoir-Castle-houseparty-Isaac-Cruikshank.jpg

Summary[edit]

Description1799-Belvoir-Castle-houseparty-Isaac-Cruikshank.jpg	English: "The Humours of Belvoir Castle -- or the Morning After", a March 1st 1799 English caricature engraving showing the aftermath of a night of upper-class debauchery at a large country mansion, marking the celebration of the owner's coming of age. (One's "coming of age" was the 21st birthday for most purposes, but a will or other legal document could specify a different date on which the inheritor of a property would come into full legal control over it, which was then the "coming of age" with respect to that particular property.) This is a precursor to the infamous Edwardian country-house weekends (but in the pre-railway era of 1799, the whole occasion was likely to last longer than just a weekend). Some old handwriting on this copy of the print says that Cruikshank was parodying the celebration of the Duke of Rutland's coming of age.
Date	1 March 1799
Source	Edited from image at Library of Congress
Author	Isaac Cruikshank  (1764–1811)     Alternative names Isaac Cruickshank; Isaac Robert Cruikshank Description Scottish caricaturist, illustrator, drawer, engraver, painter and etcher Date of birth/death 5 October 1764  between 1811 and 16 April 1811 date QS:P,+1811-00-00T00:00:00Z/9,P1319,+1811-00-00T00:00:00Z/9,P1326,+1811-04-16T00:00:00Z/11   Location of birth/death Edinburgh London Work location London  Authority file : Q3154738 VIAF: 107045019 ISNI: 0000000080122606 ULAN: 500005958 LCCN: n94004259 NLA: 35456592 WorldCat creator QS:P170,Q3154738
Permission (Reusing this file)	This is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The work of art itself is in the public domain for the following reason: Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. You must also include a United States public domain tag to indicate why this work is in the public domain in the United States. This file has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights. https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/PDMCreative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0falsefalse The official position taken by the Wikimedia Foundation is that "faithful reproductions of two-dimensional public domain works of art are public domain". This photographic reproduction is therefore also considered to be in the public domain in the United States. In other jurisdictions, re-use of this content may be restricted; see Reuse of PD-Art photographs for details.

Text in image:

• First tableau:

Inebriated Irishman

"Och! Long life to Belvoir Castle! -- by St. Patrick, I wish his honor would come of age every day in the year! -- to be sure, we did not push about the bottle at all, at all. -- and now here's a polite Damsel going to shew me to bed in the morning! -- she seems to have a nation deal of bone -- but no matter for that! -- Belvoir Castle forever, I say!"

Homely upper servant (lady's-maid?)

"Come along, Sir, I'll shew you to a chamber -- it's a pity you should sleep in the Gallery, you might take cold -- [sotto voce] bless me, I would not have my Lady to see me for the world! she would never have an opinion of my virtue again."

• Second tableau:

Surprised ugly man

"Oh Lord! Oh Lord! why, I have not slept all night with you -- you Black Devil, have I?"

Black woman servant (not slave) in a shift, holding candle

"Iss you did, and you be very pretty man."

• Third tableau:

Hastily-attired woman

"I think I shall now escape without detection!"

Caricature old man in nightshirt

"My wife! -- by everything that is hornified! they often told me she wore the Breeches, and now I am convinced of it." ["Hornified" refers to the old image that a cuckold was horned.]

• Fourth tableau:

Reading man in dressing gown

"While my Sister makes Breakfast, I will read you a passage in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night -- there is something peculiarly whimsical and interesting in the Character of Malvolio."

Woman pouring tea (noticing that her brother is wearing a woman's shoe, of the type tied to the leg by ribbons)

"I suppose you admire that character from Sympathy -- for like Malvolio, I perceive you are cross-garter'd."

Older man

"Cross-garter'd! -- why, Tom has got on a Lady's Stocking -- there must be some cursed mistake in this."

• Fifth tableau:

Dissheveled drunken man

"Shew me to bed -- or give me something to drink -- great lump of loveliness! -- devine Cherry-bum; -- hear me! -- give me some drink, thou mighty Castle Spectre!"

Heavyset lower servant woman holding candle

"Bless your honor, I am only the Cook. -- most of the regular Families are getting up, but I'll shew you to a bed if you please."

• Sixth tableau:

Woman

"I am glad I have found you, my Dear. -- I persuaded my Husband to let us have separate rooms -- as he complain'd of being very ill. -- bless me, how dark it is! -- why don't you speak?"

Man

[sotto voce] "Here's a pretty business, my own wife, by Jupiter! -- I should know her voice from a thousand."

• Seventh tableau:

Uncle

"Why, Jack, what wickedness have you been at? -- you have got a woman's cap on!"

Nephew Jack

"Have I, Uncle -- and if I don't mistake, this is an under-petticoat about your shoulders."

• Eighth tableau:

Lecherous upper-class man

"'Pon Honor -- you are two nice little Lincolnshire Articles -- you must know I am a Bond Street Sailor, and I insist on taking you in tow."

Experienced lower-class woman to inexperienced lower-class woman

"Why are you so bashful? -- I was so at first, -- till I found all the fine Ladies of Fashion set us so good an example."

For other Isaac Cruikshank caricatures with a similar overall structure, see Image:Ca-1795-militia-volunteers-drill-innuendo-caricature.jpg and Image:That-accounts-for-it-1799-caricature-Isaac-Cruikshank.jpg

Bibliographic information found on the LoC site:

TITLE: The humours of Belvoir Castle, or the morning after / Woodward del. ; etch'd by Cruikshank.

CALL NUMBER: PC 3 - 1799--Humours of Belvoir Castle ... (B size) [P&P]

REPRODUCTION NUMBER: LC-DIG-ppmsca-07198 (digital file from original print) No known restrictions on publication.

SUMMARY: Print shows a number of encounters, in two panels, between men and women either off to bed or awakened to the horrors of the night before:

• The first, an old man on the arm of an old woman, says, "Och! Long life to Belvoir Castle ... and now heres a polite Damsel, going to shew me to bed in the morning!" to which the woman responds, "Come along sir ... bless me I would not have my Lady to see me for the World! She would never have an opinion of my virtue again."
• The second encounter has a rather homely man discovering by candlelight that he has slept with an African woman who tells him, "...you did, and you be very pretty man."
• The third encounter shows an old man exclaiming that he has often heard that his wife "wore the Breeches and now I am convinced of it" as he catches sight of her in her nightdress, one breast exposed, and a man's breeches around her shoulders, and she thinking "I shall now escape without detection" of her adulterous activities.
• The top panel closes with an old man sitting at a table having tea with a young couple, the young man, a rake, proposes to "...read you a passage in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night - there is something peculiarly whimsical and interesting in the Character of Malvolio" to which the young woman replies, "...for like Malvolio I perceive you are cross garter'd" and the old man exclaims, "Cross garter'd, why Tom has got on a Lady's Stocking - there must be some cursed mistake in this."
• The bottom panel continues in this vein with a man on one knee appealing to a plump woman, "Shew me to bed - or give me something to drink - great lump of loveliness - devine Cherry-bum, - hear me! - give me some drink, thou mighty Castle Spectre!"
• The next encounter has a husband and wife embracing in the dark, he thinking "...I should know her voice from a thousand" after hearing her speak, "I am glad I have found you my Dear, I persuaded my Husband to let us have separate rooms, as he complain'd of being very ill, - bless me how dark it is, why don't you speak?"
• Next an uncle and a nephew confronting each other in the morning, the uncle says, "Why Jack what wickedness have you been at? You have got a Woman's Cap on!" to which the nephew replies, "Have I Uncle, and if I don't mistake, this is an under petticoat about your shoulders."
• Lastly, a "Bond Street Sailor" is about to lead or take "in tow" a "bashful" young woman down the path to ruin with the aid of another woman who says to her, "Why are you so bashful - I was so at first, - till I found all the fine Ladies of Fashion set us so good an example."

Besides containing some puns in speech, the whole print seems to be a pun on Belvoir or beautiful view.

MEDIUM: 1 print : etching, hand-colored.

CREATED/PUBLISHED: [London] : Pub. by S.W. Fores, No. 50 Piccadilly, corner of Sackville St., 1799 March 1st.

CREATOR: Cruikshank, Isaac, 1756?-1811?, engraver.

RELATED NAMES: Woodward, G. M. (George Moutard), ca. 1760-1809, artist.

NOTES: Title from item. Inscribed in ink at end of title: "the Duke of Rutland came of age". "Folio's of caracatures lent out for the evening." Forms part of: British Cartoon Collection (Library of Congress).

SUBJECTS:

• Relations between the sexes--England--1790-1800.
• Intoxication--1790-1800.
• Clothing & dress--England--1790-1800.

FORMAT: Puns (Visual works) British 1790-1800. Satires (Visual works) British 1790-1800. Etchings British Hand-colored 1790-1800.

PART OF: British Cartoon Collection (Library of Congress)

REPOSITORY: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

DIGITAL ID: (digital file from original print) ppmsca 07198 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.07198

CARD #: 2004681708