"A balloon about to rise from the ground encircled by three tiers of galleries or narrow platforms, protected by railings. Behind the railings sit the passengers. In the highest tier are three ladies notorious at that time for their amours ...: Grace Elliott or Eliot, née Dalrymple, known as 'Dally the tall', she holds a fan, turning her head in profile to the left, towards Perdita (Mary Robinson), who clasps her hands ecstatically; Lady Worsley sits on the right. In the centre gallery sit ex-ministers: North (left) and Fox (right) in the centre, North's arm on Fox's shoulder; Fox turns his head to North with an expression of satisfaction. Each rests his right hand on the railing in front of him, and these hands hold an inconspicuous thread which is attached to the nose of the Duke of Portland (left), who turns in profile to the right. On the right, a little apart, sits Burke dressed as a Jesuit (see British Museum Satires No. 6205) looking in profile to the right towards the Pope, who stands on the gallery, emerging from behind the curve of the balloon. He wears furred robes and his triple crown; as a pendant to him on the extreme left is the Devil looking towards the ministers with a pleased expression; over his arm he holds a net. In the lowest gallery sit celebrated quacks and other London characters. These are (left to right) "Vestina', the goddess of Health who advertised the virtues of the celestial bed (incorrectly said to have been Lady Hamilton), sits next her employer, Dr. Graham; they look at each other; she holds a sceptre wreathed with a garland. Jeffery Dunstan, Mayor of Garrat, stands, knock-kneed, with his sack over his shoulder in his accustomed attitude when calling 'old wigs'. Sam House sits resting a foaming tankard of porter on the railing in front of him, the tankard inscribed "House Ward[our] Stre[eet]". Katerfelto, turned in profile to the right, gazes up at the moon through his telescope; in his left hand is a paper, "Wonders, Wonders Most Wonderfull Wonders", the usual heading of his advertisements, cf. British Museum Satires No. 6162. His black cat sits on the railing facing him, saying, "are there Mice in the Moon Master". In the upper right corner of the design is the moon, a crescent-shaped profile inset in a circle, looking down at the balloon. The balloon is encircled longitudinally by eight ropes which meet in a knot beneath it and are there attached to four stouter ropes attached to the four corners of a platform which rests on the ground, from which the balloon appears about to ascend. On this platform is a tub inscribed "Vanity", bubbling over with soapsuds inscribed "Froth". Beside the platform (right) stands a Frenchman capering on one leg and flourishing a knife. He says, "Oh Begar dis be von fine Cargo." ... In the background are the roofs and spires of London, St. Paul's being prominent on the left, the Monument on the right. ..."--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched below image., "Hanibal Scratch" might be a pseudonym of John Nixon; see Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum, v. 5, page 842., Text beneath title: Setts out from Swan with two Necks Lad Lane every Monday morg., Sheet trimmed within plate mark., and Twenty lines of verse in four columns below image, etched above and on either side of title: Who choose a journey to the Moon, may take it in our Stage Balloon ...
Publisher:
Pubd. Decr. 23, 1783, by Wm. Wells, No. 132 Fleet Street
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain.
Subject (Name):
Elliott, Grace Dalrymple, -1823, Robinson, Mary, 1758-1800, Worsley, Seymour Dorothy, Lady, North, Frederick, Lord, 1732-1792, Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, Portland, William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, Duke of, 1738-1809, Burke, Edmund, 1729-1797, Pius VI, Pope, 1717-1799, Graham, James, 1745-1794, Dunstan, Jeffery, 1759?-1797, House, Samuel, -1785, Katterfelto, Gustavus, -1799, and St. Paul's Cathedral (London, England),
