Peepshow Man at Hyde Park Corner, Cries of London, 1804

This is an original hand colored copper engraving, one of the Cries of London plates, lettered "A SHOWMAN." beneath the image. It shows a showman at Hyde Park Corner standing beside his peepshow. He wears a black cocked hat and a red coat with yellow facings and has a wooden leg. The tall blue show box, pierced with viewing holes, stands on a red folding trestle, and a small animal sits in a glass drum on top of it. Buildings with striped window blinds and balconies fill the background.

The London setting is engraved in script above the image as "Hyde Park Corner" and the cry in open capitals below it as "A SHOWMAN.". No artist or engraver is named on this plate. Along the foot runs the imprint "Published July. 7. 1804. by Richard Phillips. 71. St. Pauls Church Yard.", dating the plate to July 7, 1804.

The plate comes from Modern London; Being the History and Present State of the British Metropolis, printed for Richard Phillips of St. Paul's Church Yard by C. Mercier and Co. in 1804. Alongside its topographical views of the capital the book included a series of hand colored plates of London street traders, each figure shown in working dress against a named street, square or building, so that the set records both the trades and the appearance of the city at the time. Several plates in the series carry the credit of the painter William Marshall Craig; this one is unsigned.

The hand coloring and the named London setting make it a good choice for a hallway, kitchen or study, alone or hung with other plates from the series.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.