[The distressed poet] [graphic]

"An untidy garret with a man in a dressing-gown working on a poem entitled 'Poverty' while his wife is confronted by a milkmaid with a lengthy tally who demands payment; a baby in bed is crying; a dog eats meat from a plate on a chair; behind the poet's head is a satirical print showing Alexander Pope thrashing the book-seller Edmund Curll who had published pirate editions of his work."--British Museum online catalogue