A Book for a Rainy Day; or, Recollections of the Events of the Years 1766-1833Smith, John Thomas
History
A Book for a Rainy Day; or, Recollections of the Events of the Years 1766-1833
Smith, John Thomas
Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- 18th century; Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- 19th century
Upon returning to a small room which we had passed through from the hall,
“Ah! ah!” said I, “you are curious in porcelain, I see,--the crackle.
What fine Dresden! I declare here is a figure of Kitty Clive, as the
_Fine Lady_ in Lethe, from the Chelsea manufactory.”[450] There is an
engraving of this by Moseley, with the landscape background etched by
Gainsborough. This figure of Mrs. Clive, which was something less than
a foot in height, was perfectly white, and one of a set of celebrated
characters, viz., John Wilkes; David Garrick, in _Richard the Third_;
Quin, in _Falstaff_; Woodward, in the _Fine Gentleman_; the Duke of
Cumberland, etc. Most of these were characteristically coloured, and are
now and then to be met with.[451]
“How you enjoy these things!” observed Mrs. Carr. “This is the
drawing-room; the decorated paper is just as it was in Mr. Garrick’s
time; indeed, we have had nothing altered in the house. I never enter
this room without regretting the enormous expense we were obliged to
incur, in taking down a great portion of the roof, owing to a very
great neglect in the repairs of the house during Mrs. Garrick’s time.
Fortunately it was discovered just as we took possession of the premises,
or the consequences might have been fatal.” “Your grounds are beautiful,”
observed my wife. “Yes,” said Mrs. Carr, “and several of the trees
were planted by Mrs. Garrick; that mulberry-tree was a sucker from
Shakspeare’s tree at Stratford; that tulip-tree was one of her planting,
and so was the cedar. Now you shall see our best bed-room.” The end of
this room which contains the bed is divided from the larger portion by a
curtain suspended across the ceiling, which gives it the appearance of
a distinct drawing-room, for the comfort of a visitor, if indisposed.
“We will now go to Mr. and Mrs. Garrick’s bed-room.” Notwithstanding the
lowness of the ceiling, the room still carries an air of great comfort.
Here we were again gratified with a display of some choice specimens of
Oriental porcelain.
We then descended to the dining-room, in which were portraits of the
Tracy family. On one side of the chimneypiece hangs a half-length picture
of Mrs. Garrick, holding a mask in her right hand. This was painted by
Zoffany,[452] before her marriage, who was one of her admirers; over the
sideboard hangs a portrait of Tom Davies, the author of the _Life of
Garrick_, who had been his steadfast friend.[453] We then returned to the
bow-room, in which we were first received; from thence we entered the
library, and were then shown Mr. Garrick’s dressing-table. On our return
to the bow-room, I asked Mr. Carr in what part of the house Hogarth’s
Election pictures had hung. “In this,” said he; “one on either side of
the fireplace.”[454]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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