A maiden aunt smelling fire., Thomas Rowlandson, 1806

A grotesque old maid having woken at night, the open door of her bedroom behind at left, approaching the foot of a staircase with a candle, only partly dressed and with her bosom hanging outside her dress, led on by a cat; above at left, the young niece appearing at her own bedroom door as if only just awake, her lover escaping in his nightshirt up the stairs at right; at the foot of the stairs, a paper lettered 'old maids are doomed to lead apes in hell'. 1 may 1806 hand-coloured etching. Date: 1806. Dimensions: Height: 327 mm (cropped); Width: 233 mm (cropped). Medium: paper. Collection: British Museum. A maiden aunt smelling fire. (BM 1948,0214.734)