Gillray (James) After.

Dublin, Le Petit, c.1820.
a pirated Dublin copy of one of a pair of social satires by Gillray on the subject of marriage, the other being ‘Harmony before Marriage’, originally published by Hannah Humphrey in 1805. Where the other depicted the young lovers seated in a state of romantic bliss, they are depicted here in a state of total froideur, as echoed by the barometer on the wall registering ‘Freezing’, along with numerous other symbolic references. The wife sits at the piano with her back to him, but eyes turned to observe the impact of her song, sung ‘Forte’, with the lyrics ‘Torture, Fury, Rage, Despair, I Cannot Cannot Bear’, has upon her husband. He sits with his hand to over his ear while staring fixedly at the Sporting Calendar, while a nursemaid brings in their howling baby which she tries to distract with a large rattle,.
250 by 350mm (9¾ by 13¾ inches).