Molly Milton, the Pretty Oyster Woman, Robert Dighton, 1788

A gaily dressed young woman wearing a flat hat, ringlets, a handkerchief which displays her breast, and an apron over a quilted petticoat, stands at her shallow tub of oysters, a knife in her right hand, turning to smile towards a fashionably dressed young man (left) who ogles her, his right hand in his breeches pocket, his left resting on a cane. A black page in livery (right), wearing a turban ornamented with feathers and beads, smiles insinuatingly at her, holding out a bowl. A high wall with placards, and large brick houses, probably at billingsgate, form a background. 3 january 1788 hand-coloured mezzotint. Date: 1788. Dimensions: Height: 351 mm; Width: 250 mm. Medium: paper. Collection: British Museum. Molly Milton, the Pretty Oyster Woman (BM 1935,0522.1.109 1)