"Brother John and I" the polite grocers of the Strand / [graphic]

Description

Alternative Title

Polite grocers of the Strand

Contributor

Scott, Edmund, approximately 1746-1810, attributed name.
Bell, Andrew, 1726-1809, attributed name.
Kirby, R. S., active 1799-1850, publisher.

Published / Created

[21 May 1805]

Publication Place

London

Publisher

Published May 21, 1805, by R.S. Kirby, 11 London House Yard, St. Pauls

Abstract

Two men at a shop counter in a tea and coffee retail shop using scales to measure out coffee beans

"Two elderly men, whose family resemblance is pronounced, sit directed to the left, behind a counter running diagonally across the design. They are manipulating small scales; one (left) has his hand in a canister of 'Coffee'. Close behind them is the wall, showing the arrangement of a grocer's shop: deep drawers interspersed with shelves on which are sugar-loaves and canisters of tea. The latter are inscribed respectively: 'Hyson', 'Bloom', 'Hyson', '[Souc]hong', 'Congo', 'Bohea'."--British Museum online catalogue

Description

Title etched below image.
Artist attribution to Andrew Bell and printmaker attribution to Edmund Scott suggested in the British Museum online catalogue, registration no.: 1868,0808.7364
Sheet trimmed within plate mark on right side.
"While [Dorothy] George identifies the brothers as John and Richard Twining, [Sir Ambrose] Heal identifies them as John and Aaron Trim, grocers and tea-dealers in the Strand. This is backed up by another plate in the Heal collection that names Aaron and John Trim under their portrait (see Heal,Portraits.194)."--Curator's comments, British Museum online catalogue, registration no.: Heal,Portraits.193.
Probably a plate from: Kirby's wonderful and eccentric musuem; or, Magazine of remarkable characters.

Provenance

Gift of Joseph Verner Reed (Yale 1926) to the Yale Library, 1958. Portions were transferred to Lewis Walpole Library 1960. For other items from this gift refer to Beinecke Library's GEN MSS 1000.

Extent