Hooly and Fairly, Robert Dighton, circa 1787

Illustration to a song in scots engraved beneath the title with the refrain 'o! gin my wife wad drink hooly and fairly'. An elderly scots bonnet laird or farmer stands repeating the song, which is a complaint of the extravagance and misconduct of his wife. He wears a round scots bonnet and a tartan plaid over his coat, long stockings, and shoes tied with strings, tattered gloves from which his fingers protrude; a cane is suspended from his left wrist. He holds in his left hand a small tankard with an open lid indicating in london 'a dram', or gin. In the background is a small house, partly visible on the left, outside which stands the wife, drunk and flourishing a similar tankard; a wine-bottle lies at her feet, a man leans from the window. On the right is a farm building with a horse, two cows, and a broken fence. In the foreground (right) is a large thistle. C. 1787 hand-coloured mezzotint with etching. Date: circa 1787. Dimensions: Height: 348 mm (trimmed?); Width: 250 mm. Medium: paper. Collection: British Museum. Hooly and Fairly (BM 2010,7081.1143)