Returning to an old favorite for inspiration this week – my dear James Gillray. There’s an American children’s song that promises, “first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in the baby carriage.”
This portrait by Gillray turns that taunt into more of a threat.
Marriage Music
The squalling and crying of children.
Les Plaisir du Mènage, by James Gillray, 1791, National Portrait Gallery, London.
Notice the inscription at the top: Give me the sweet delight of Love…a Catch. And that the wife is ready to throw hands in a distinctly non-amorous way.
Slang term taken from the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue.
Obstinate Headstrong Girl ... author Renée Reynolds 
You must be logged in to post a comment.