Rowlandson the Caricaturist; a Selection from His Works. Vol. 2Grego, Joseph
History
Rowlandson the Caricaturist; a Selection from His Works. Vol. 2
Grego, Joseph
English wit and humor, Pictorial; Rowlandson, Thomas, 1756-1827
_Physicorum._--The face of a lean, high-dried, and sharp-featured
doctor, with a high, white wig, and a profusion of horsehair curls,
figures forth _Physicorum_ with proper character; festoons of bottles
of medicine, soporific, strengthening, emollient, purging and
sleeping draughts in all varieties, boxes of pills, ointments, drops,
prescriptive puffs, quackeries, and the inevitable syringe and clyster
pipe, make up the attributes of the physician.
_Nunina._--The head of a rosy-cheeked and buxom Nun, her eyes devoutly
raised to realms above. Beneath the portrait the crowned and ghastly
skull of King Death, a book of devotions, a _flagellum_ for discipline,
a crucifix, hour-glass and rosary, and other pious symbols are
displayed.
_Publicorum._--The face of a fat and rubicund-visaged landlord does
duty as the emblem of _Publicorum_; as may be supposed, the symbols of
this personage consist mainly of convivial attributes--tobacco-boxes,
pipes, bottles of rum, brandy, and rack; a tankard, limes, lemons, a
punchbowl, ladle, &c.
_Funeralorum._--The head of a professional mourner, with long
crape streamers round his hat, and a mourning cloak. _Funeralorum_
is surrounded by such cheerful attributes as funeral sermons,
advertisements of interments, and invitations to the same, burial fees,
titles, last wills and testaments, hatchments, Yorick's skull, an
hour-glass, and a sexton's pick and spade.
_Virginia._--The head of a soured and malignant-looking old maid,
whose favourite parrot is screaming in her ear. The vixenish face is
festooned with suppositious attributes of old spinsterhood--a group
of boxes of snuff, corn-plaisters, padlocks, pincushions, cats-meat,
anonymous letters, drops for the colic; while a bag for 'winnings at
_quadrille_' is displayed on the _Scandalous Magazine_, beside which
are perched two spitting and caterwauling old tom-cats.
_Hazardorum._--The head given as representative of _Hazardorum_ wears
a very disconsolate and downcast look; fortune has not favoured the
gambler, as is figuratively evinced by a purse turned upside down, from
which the contents are escaping, mortgage-deeds, annuity bonds, _Hoyle
on Chances_, a betting book, a game cock, rackets, dice and a dice-box.
_The Racing Calendar_, playing cards, billiard cues, a loaded pistol,
and other suggestive emblems supply the features of _Hazardorum_.
_Battlcorum._--The head of a fierce-looking warrior, with plumed hat,
sets forth _Battlcorum_; warlike attributes surround the stern hero,
whose face is grim as war itself. Chain-shot, pistols, shot-belts, a
cartouche box, bayonet, sword, gun, drum. &c., help out the martial
figure and assist its due signification.
_Billingsgatina_ displays the face of a buxom young fish-girl,
topped with a sailor's straw hat, and surrounded by evidences
of her fishy profession: strings of eels, lobsters, crabs, cod,
oysters, and fish-baskets are introduced to support the character of
_Billingsgatina_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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