‘Out of Place and Unpension’d’, 1810

Description

Mounted engraving, coloured by stencil, entitled ‘OUT OF PLACE AND UNPENSION’D’, drawn and engraved by anon, printed and published by William Davison, around 1810.

This caricature features a three-quarter length portrait of a preoccupied man, in an old-fashioned frock coat, his hair tied in a queue, with a cocked hat under his right arm, facing to the right he leans thoughtfully on a long staff. Before him is a table bearing a flysheet headed; “W. DAVISON Druggist ALNWICK SELLS”, and a mug lettered; “SMALL BEER”.

The printer and publisher of the caricature, William Davison (1781-1858), was a chemist and druggist in Alnwick from 1802. After 1808, following a partnership with the printer John Catnach, he became in addition a noted stationer, printer and publisher.

The enterprising Davison published some 42 caricatures in the style of Darly and Gillray during the first few decades of the 1800s. This impression of this caricature has been coloured by means of a poorly registered stencil, which suggest