File:Richard Harris'd or the Wolves too keen!!!- (BM 1868,0808.12851).jpg

From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Original file (1,600 × 1,127 pixels, file size: 510 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)

Captions

Captions

Add a one-line explanation of what this file represents

Summary

[edit]
Richard Harris'd or the Wolves too keen!!!-   (Wikidata search (Cirrus search) Wikidata query (SPARQL)  Create new Wikidata item based on this file)
Artist

Print made by: George Cruikshank

Published by: J Sidebotham
Title
Richard Harris'd or the Wolves too keen!!!-
Description
English: The stage at Covent Garden Theatre is indicated by a stage-curtain draping the upper and right margins of the design and by the façade of the theatre (left) as part of the scenery; a tent inscribed 'Dieu et Mon Droit' shows that the play is 'Richard III'. Booth, in fashionable modern dress, clutching a large rolled document inscribed 'Previous Treaty', grasps the cloak of a second Booth, dressed as Richard III, who has fallen to the ground between two overturned stools, one inscribed 'Covent Garden', the other 'Drury Lane'. Both Booths are terrified at three wolves which are climbing on to the stage (right); the former declaims: "In spite of Hisses, Groans, or Law, / I'll manage Richard with eclat." The other, frantically waving arms and legs, exclaims: "Give me a horse—bind up my wounds; Have mercy heaven!" ['Richard III', v. 3, misquoted]. Behind them stands a lawyer in wig and gown with the face of an owl; he holds up both hands, saying, ""A plague o' both your houses" Gentlemen this is a dirty action, but I think we can show cause, to over rule it, it being a Minor offence—" Above his head and on the façade of Covent Garden is a bill: 'A Lying Affidavit by a lying Lawyer'. The three wolves, wearing fashionable tail-coats on which is the word 'Opposition!', advance with savage gestures; one cries: "That's right, Go it my Boys! I'ts all Dickie with Jack o' both sides." By them lies a paper: 'Principles of the Wolf Club at one view'.


The tent is filled by a large couch from which a crown and sceptre are falling; beside it are a shield with the Royal Arms, corslet, and helmet. From behind the tent another Richard (Kean) looks furtively out at the wolves, saying, "What! will the aspiring blood of Lancaster sink into the Ground?" ['3 Henry VI', v. 6. 61-2, Gloucester's words after murdering Henry VI]. In the middle of the stage stands a pole supporting a placard: 'Mr Booth has Acted wrong.' In front of the two Booths lie papers: 'Junius's Letters or Mr Booth's appeal to the Public—'; 'Theatre Royal Covent Garden Richard ye Third Gloster by Mr Booth with ye Farce of the Weathercock'; 'A Bundle of Proverbs—Between two Stools the — goes to ye ground'; [Theatre] 'Royal Drury Lane Othello — Iago Mr Booth with the new Farce Frightn'd to Death—!!'
8 March 1817


Hand-coloured etching
Depicted people Associated with: Edmund Kean
Date 1817
date QS:P571,+1817-00-00T00:00:00Z/9
Medium paper
Dimensions
Height: 275 millimetres
Width: 380 millimetres
institution QS:P195,Q6373
Current location
Prints and Drawings
Accession number
1868,0808.12851
Notes

(Description and comment from M. Dorothy George, 'Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum', IX, 1949) A satire on the riot at Covent Garden on 25 Feb. when Booth attempted to play Richard III, having disappointed a packed audience at Drury Lane on 22 Feb., where he was billed to play Iago to Kean's Othello, see No. 12918. At the end of the (inaudible) play Booth came forward with a placard beginning: "I have acted wrong . . ." The Wolves Club was a tavern society founded and presided over by Kean, see No. 13367. Among the letters to the newspapers relating to the affair was one asserting that the Wolves had pledged themselves to drive Booth from the stage; Kean asserted that the Wolves had ceased to exist and defied anyone to prove that he had directly or indirectly instigated any opposition to Booth. Playfair, 'Kean', p. 175. Henry Harris, Manager of Covent Garden, also wrote to the papers. An information was filed in Chancery by the Drury Lane Management to restrain Booth (b. 1 May 1796) from performing at Covent Garden, but withdrawn on the ground that he was a minor.

Reid, No. 664. Cohn, No. 1902.
Source/Photographer https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1868-0808-12851
Permission
(Reusing this file)		 © The Trustees of the British Museum, released as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Licensing

[edit]
This image is in the public domain because it is a mere mechanical scan or photocopy of a public domain original, or – from the available evidence – is so similar to such a scan or photocopy that no copyright protection can be expected to arise. The original itself is in the public domain for the following reason:
Public domain

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 70 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.
 Note that a few countries have copyright terms longer than 70 years: Mexico has 100 years, Jamaica has 95 years, Colombia has 80 years, and Guatemala and Samoa have 75 years. This image may not be in the public domain in these countries, which moreover do not implement the rule of the shorter term. Honduras has a general copyright term of 75 years, but it does implement the rule of the shorter term. Copyright may extend on works created by French who died for France in World War II (more information), Russians who served in the Eastern Front of World War II (known as the Great Patriotic War in Russia) and posthumously rehabilitated victims of Soviet repressions (more information).
This file has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights.

This tag is designed for use where there may be a need to assert that any enhancements (eg brightness, contrast, colour-matching, sharpening) are in themselves insufficiently creative to generate a new copyright. It can be used where it is unknown whether any enhancements have been made, as well as when the enhancements are clear but insufficient. For known raw unenhanced scans you can use an appropriate {{PD-old}} tag instead. For usage, see Commons:When to use the PD-scan tag.

Note: This tag applies to scans and photocopies only. For photographs of public domain originals taken from afar, {{PD-Art}} may be applicable. See Commons:When to use the PD-Art tag.

File history

Click on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time.

Date/TimeThumbnailDimensionsUserComment
current03:07, 12 May 2020Thumbnail for version as of 03:07, 12 May 20201,600 × 1,127 (510 KB)Copyfraud (talk | contribs)British Museum public domain uploads (Copyfraud/BM) Prints about plague in the British Museum 1817 #176/190

You cannot overwrite this file.

Metadata

This file contains additional information such as Exif metadata which may have been added by the digital camera, scanner, or software program used to create or digitize it. If the file has been modified from its original state, some details such as the timestamp may not fully reflect those of the original file. The timestamp is only as accurate as the clock in the camera, and it may be completely wrong.

Retrieved from "https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Richard_Harris%27d_or_the_Wolves_too_keen!!!-_(BM_1868,0808.12851).jpg&oldid=794426344"