Theatrical scene in a prison, after Hogarth's painting illustrating Gay's "The Beggar's Opera". Audience members are shown seated in boxes to the left and right; in the centre, the character of Macheath, a highwayman, stands in shackles; on either side of him, his wife and lover are kneeling before their respective fathers, pleading for intervention on Macheath's behalf; in the background, a group of male figures (Macheath's gang?). Each figure is numbered and listed below under the appropriate category -- performers or audience
Description:
Title etched above image., Sheet trimmed to plate mark on top edge., and Key plate to the painting by Hogarth and the engraving after it by William Blake.
Publisher:
Publish'd July 1, 1790, by J. & J. Boydell, Cheapside & at the Shakspeare Gallery Pall Mall
Subject (Name):
Gay, John, 1685-1732.
Subject (Topic):
Actors, British, Actresses, Audiences, and Theatrical productions
