Philip thicknesse, seated at a table and directed to the left, holds up a paper to which he points with his pen: 'junius [first written 'junious', the 'o' struck out] discover'd or the way to catch a penny price 2s sealed up'. Other of his literary productions are on the table: a pile of four neat volumes, 'thickhead's' [memoirs], the backs inscribed respectively '1', '2', '1', '2' (two copies of the memoirs, printed for the author in 1788). With these is a paper, 'subscribers to memoirs. Price to subscribers £1-1-0 non subscribers 10/6d humbug. ' (the word 'bamboozler' has been scored through). Two other papers are 'queries to ld aud. . '; 'a letter to ld cov. ', and 'soon will be published le trompeur or the art of bamboozling' [the signature 'pt' is struck out]. A small open book is: 'life of gainsbo[rough]'. Under the table is a sculptured head in profile to the right, the base inscribed 'count struen[see]'. From the back of his chair hangs a bag: 'foul letter bag'. On the wall are two pictures: 'st catherines hermitage', a landscape, and 'lady betty', a bust portrait in profile to the right. There is also a torn plan inscribed 'plan of land guard fort - the wooden horse'. Thicknesse wears spectacles and a military cocked hat. Beneath the title is etched:
'they say i'm a quarrelsome fellow
gad rottet now how can that be?
for i never quarrel with any,
but all the world quarrel with me. ' 21 november 1789. Hand-coloured etching. Date: 1789. Dimensions: Height: 270 mm; Width: 185 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: George Thicknesse Touchet Audley, 19th Baron. Collection: British Museum. The quarrelsome fellow. (BM J,2.55)
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