The lord mayor sits (left) in profile to the right, looking towards his four guests and smoking an enormous pipe with a looped stem, the bowl inscribed 'a present from egupt'. Pitt sits haughtily in the centre, saying: "i'll smoke the cits again with another loan very soon. - very fine virginia my lord!" on the right sit together lady hamilton in profile to the right, and nelson, who watches her intently. She says: "pho the old mans pipe is allways out, but yours burns with full vigour". He answers "yes yes. [&c]"; he smokes a hookah. A thin elderly man between pitt and staines lights his (short) pipe from a guttering candle held by a rough-looking sailor who is also smoking and has a quid in his bulging cheek; the latter says: "why sr dilbery, your pipe is too short, 'tis quite worn out, it wants a new tip". The mayor says: "yes sir dilbery these fighting tars make a cursed deal more smoke than we do. " the other answers: "aye my lord but then they have a cursed deal more fire too - twig the admiral. " spittoons are at the feet of the smokers, whose words issue from their mouths in clouds of smoke. In the left corner by the host are a dog on its hind-legs smoking a pipe and tins inscribed 'orno \ hardham \ tobbaco. ' 18 november 1800
hand-coloured etching
jenkins & sloan 1996
the characters in this satirical print are easily identifiable and the implications of the accompanying speeches are all too clear. The newly elected mayor of london, sir william staines, noted for his plebeian manners, sits to the left, smoking egyptian tobacco, a gift of nelson, the hero of the nile, seen on the far right. Sir william hamilton lights his pipe from a candle offered by a "jack tar" and the prime minister, william pitt, sits next to him, preparing to "smoke the cits" (tax the citizens) again soon. Lady hamilton, in one of her 'attitudes' recognisable from rehberg's publication (1873,0809. 131-143), smokes next to nelson, whose pipe is by far the longest and "burning with full vigour" from a bowl which bears a resemblance to the 'ex votos' sir william hamilton discovered at isernia (w,319. 20). Date: 1800. Dimensions: Height: 250 mm (printed image); Width: 350 mm (printed image). Medium: paper. Depicted People: Emma, Lady Hamilton. Collection: British Museum. A mansion house treat. or Smoking attitudes! (BM 1868,0808.6913 2)
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