Hobby horses. (BM 1867,0713.406)

Six groups of two, or three, figures, arranged in two rows, illustrating hobbies. [1] A young apprentice or 'cit' attempts to get an older man to come for a sail in a small boat, the 'Dreadnought', in which he has only had "five trifling accidents.. . upset three carried a piece of Baiter sea Bridge and drown'd a Wherry full of Women." [2] A fat 'cit', stage-mad, saying, "acting's my hobby . . ." goes off "to play Ranger"; his friend tells him he would cut a better figure in Falstaff. A maidservant buckles his shoe. [3] A man with a double butterfly-net is warned by a boy not to walk into a gravel-pit; he has just missed "the finest Emperor of Morocco [see No. 9326] I ever saw . . . I should have got free admission to the Leverian Museum for him . . ." (Sir Ashton Lever's collection of natural history, &c, exhibited at the Rotunda, Blackfriars Bridge). [4] A fat parson taking tea is beset by the cats and dogs of his spinsterish sister [?], who sits at the tea-table, which he kicks over, swearing. [5] A 'cit' is gardening and shows a plant to his fat and hectoring wife: ". . . when I come in and look into Linnaeus I can tell you the Class Genus and all about it." She stands by with an umbrella, saying, ". . . why it pours with rain and see where your Hat and Wig is Hanging." They grotesquely decorate the head of a figure of a black servant, nude and kneeling, which supports a sundial. [6] Two ladies look up at a colossal statue whose muscular legs below the knee are alone visible. One is the sculptor, the other inspects with admiration, and asks, "pray what do you intend to do with this Collossus. I intend it my dear for the top of Drury Lane Theatre. . .". 12 September 1797

Hand-coloured etching