The Landlady at Your service Sir. – You will find your Bed well Air'd as I slept in it my Self last night: Sketches of Character, no. 5

William Heath ('Paul Pry')|Thomas McLean

ca. 1829 · Hand-colored etching · Drawings and Prints

The Landlady at Your service Sir. – You will find your Bed well Air'd as I slept in it my Self last night: Sketches of Character, no. 5 — William Heath ('Paul Pry')|Thomas McLean

Heath served in the army and began by drawing military satires but, by 1827, had returned to London and focused on social satire. He also started to sign his prints with a small top-hatted dandy holding an umbrella–Paul Pry, a nosy character in a play. This work centers on a large landlady wearing a blue gown with black apron, and a white cap adorned with a large flower. She folds her arms and addresses the viewer (arriving customer) to assure them that the bed they are destined to sleep in has been well aired because she used it the night before!

Artist: William Heath ('Paul Pry')|Thomas McLean
Date: ca. 1829
Medium: Hand-colored etching
Department: Drawings and Prints
Credit line: Gift of Jill Spalding, 2022