Pitt and dundas, fox and sheridan face each other across a long narrow table, smoking long pipes and puffing clouds of smoke in each other's faces. The gallery of the house of commons is indicated in the background. At the head of the table (left) in a raised arm-chair (in the manner of the chairman at a tavern-club) sits a man in the hat, wig, and gown of the speaker (addington) [identified by wright and evans as loughborough, 'cogitating' between the parties; this is inconsistent with the house of commons setting and with loughborough's appointment (26 jan. 1793) as chancellor. ] holding the mace, which has been transformed into a crutch-like stick. He puffs smoke at both treasury and opposition benches. Pitt, on the speaker's right, holds a frothing tankard inscribed 'g. R' and directs a cloud of smoke at fox, who puffs back. Before fox is a tray of pipes and a paper of tobacco, implying that he excels in abuse. On the extreme right dundas, a plaid across his coat, puffs at the scowling sheridan seated close to fox; he has a punch-bowl inscribed 'g. R' in which he dips a ladle. Small puffs of smoke issue from the pipes, great clouds from the smokers' mouths, as in bmsat 8220. The house of commons is burlesqued as a smoking-club, a plebeian gathering in which quarrelsome members were wont to puff smoke at each other, see bmsat 8220. 13 february 1793
hand-coloured etching. Date: 1793. Dimensions: Height: 313 mm; Width: 425 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth. Collection: British Museum. A smoking club. (BM 1851,0901.636)
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