Antique Satirical Print of the Duchess of St Albans by Heath '1829'
€ 350
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1829
Sheet size
44.5 × 54.5 cm (17.5 × 21.5 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-00883
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
General age-related toning, minor wear and foxing. Passe-partout/matting included. Please review the images for further condition details.
About this sheet
Antique print titled 'Run Neighbors Run - St Al_ns is Quadrilling It'. In this print, the Duchess of St Albans dances a quadrille (a dance performed by four couples) with an unidentified naval officer, whose dancing steps resemble those of the hornpipe, a dance popular among sailors. The other three couples of the quadrille stand around them, looking on. All of the figures are fashionably dressed, with the Duchess' clothing being particularly extravagant.
Harriot Mellon, Duchess of St Albans, was a former actress who married the elderly banker Thomas Coutts in 1815. After Coutts' death, she remarried to the Duke of St Albans in 1827, causing a scandal due to his being 23 years younger than she. Mellon, the richest woman in Britain after her husband's death, was a philathropist and patron of the arts, but was a controversial figure in fashionable society due to her humble origins. Satirical prints of the 1820s commonly represent her as being vulgar and obese.
The title of the print refers to 'Run Neighbors, Run!', a popular song from the period which commented on the mania for quadrille dancing, but is also a reference to Mellon's weight and dancing skill, implying that her movements would cause noise and disturbance.
