A Peep at Christies;–or–Tally-ho & his Nimeny-pimeney taking the Morning Lounge
Gillray here contrasts the short, stout figure of the Earl of Derby with the tall, thin form of his mistress Elizabeth Farren, a leading comic actress associated with London's Drury Lane Theatre. The couple examine pictures in Christies's sale rooms at 125 Pall Mall. She admires "Zenocrates & Phryne" (an image of an ancient philosopher who loved a Greek courtesan), while he inspects a fox hunting scene titled "The Death." Nimeney-Pimeney, mentioned in the title, was a role that Farren had famously performed in General Burgoyne's play "The Heiress" in 1786. After a liason lasting eighteen years, the couple finally married in 1797--a year after this print was published--following the death of the Earl's wife.
Artwork Details
- Title: A Peep at Christies;–or–Tally-ho & his Nimeny-pimeney taking the Morning Lounge
- Artist: James Gillray (British, London 1756–1815 London)
- Publisher: Hannah Humphrey (British, ca. 1745–1819)
- Date: September 24, 1796
- Medium: Hand-colored etching and aquatint
- Dimensions: Plate: 14 × 9 15/16 in. (35.5 × 25.2 cm)
Sheet: 15 15/16 × 11 11/16 in. (40.5 × 29.7 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of Jill Spalding, 2022
- Object Number: 2022.309.43
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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Multiple artists/makers
June 13, 1781
Multiple artists/makers
[1830]
James Gillray
June 19, 1780
Multiple artists/makers
after April 1785
James Gillray
Hannah Humphrey
July 16, 1805
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