A street scene; a stout hackney coachman seizes by the collar a tall, lean french barber, who deprecatingly holds out an empty pocket. The barber is fashionably dressed with ruffled shirt; a comb and scissors project from his waistcoat pocket; other tools of his trade have fallen to the ground. The coachman wears a round hat in which are two tickets, one '102 n', showing the number of his coach; there are holes in his coat, waistcoat, and stocking. Behind him (left) is his coach. On the opposite side of the road (right) are two amused spectators: a sailor wearing a round hat and striped trousers, and a fat oyster-woman holding a little girl on one arm; a knife hangs from her waist, and behind her on a bench is a basket of oysters. They stand outside an alehouse, indicated by the sign of chequers and the words london porter on the shutter of an open sash-window, from which two men are leaning; the dial of a clock inside the room shows that it is five o'clock. Large brick houses receding in perspective complete the background. Beneath the title is engraved:
'pay me my fare and be damn'd to you. Me ad only von sixpence port my honare. ' 1784
hand-coloured mezzotint. Date: 1784. Dimensions: Height: 350 mm; Width: 250 mm. Medium: paper. Collection: British Museum. The Frenchman in Distress (BM 1935,0522.1.24)
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