File:An Enquiry into the cause of the high price of provisions (BM 1868,0808.5579).jpg

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An Enquiry into the cause of the high price of provisions   (Wikidata search (Cirrus search) Wikidata query (SPARQL)  Create new Wikidata item based on this file)
Artist

Print made by: William Dent

Published by: E Macklew
Title
An Enquiry into the cause of the high price of provisions
Description
English: A city feast, guzzlers seated on each side of a long table, the ends of which do not appear. The decorations of the wall explain the intention of the satire: in the centre is an escutcheon, a burlesque of the arms of the City of London; a knife (in place of the dagger) in the sinister chief quarter is inscribed 'Hash'. The supporters are two stags, probably an allusion to the old gibe that citizens were cuckolds. The motto is 'We live to eat'. A turtle serves as crest. On each side of the arms are two placards: [1] 'Resolved, That all persons not bound by Corporation laws to feed on animal food, be advised to content themselves with a vegetable diet, as it will much tend to reduce the price of Provisions'. [2] 'Hereford. Father H------ informs the Committee, that he is using his best endeavours to prevent the little farmers being guilty of monopolizing the necessaries of Life.' [3] 'The Committee feel themselves much indebted to their West India correspondent, & hope a colinuance of his favors, as they very much wish to promote the Trade of the Islands.' [4] 'The Committee return thanks to their Correspondent Sylva,for his kind correspondence, & would be very glad of the assistance of any other gentleman, in the like manner, they having a very great predilection for primitive living'. Two pictures are on the extreme left and right: 'The Report' represents a citizen wearing a civic chain seated in a latrine; behind his head are two placards: 'Cure for a Surfeit and Good example a city Tale'. 'The Cause' (right) depicts a stout man gorging at a table loaded with food and wine; on the wall is a placard, 'Moderation, an old story.'


On the farther side of the table are five men; four are guzzling in an ill-bred manner, the one farthest left holds a wine-glass. All have napkins tucked under the chin. Behind their heads are placards: 'Resolved', 'That a bounty be given for the encouragement of the Turbot fishery' and (right) 'Resolved, nem. con. That corporation dinners do not increase the price of Provisions'. Four men sit on the near side of the table, two in back view, the two central diners turning their heads in profile to look at each other; on the bench next one of these (left) is a hammer inscribed 'Auctioneer', next the other a trowel inscribed 'Bricklayer'. All wear civic gowns. The table is covered with food and there is a bottle of 'Claret'. The two centre dishes are a tureen (inscribed 'Turtle') from which hangs a label, 'a West India Trader to the Provision Committee', and a saddle of mutton, correspondingly labelled 'Sylva to the Provision Committee'. 23 November 1786


Etching
Depicted people Associated with: Rev John Howlett
Date 1786
date QS:P571,+1786-00-00T00:00:00Z/9
Medium paper
Dimensions
Height: 247 millimetres
Width: 349 millimetres
institution QS:P195,Q6373
Current location
Prints and Drawings
Accession number
1868,0808.5579
Notes

(Description and comment from M.Dorothy George, 'Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum', VI, 1938)

City guzzlers are satirized by allusions to the inclosure controversy: the title appears to be taken from an anonymous pamphlet of 1785: 'A Political Enquiry into the consequences of enclosing waste lands and the causes of the present high price of Butchers' Meat, Being the sentiments of a Society of Farmers in ------shire' [? Hereford]. This was answered in 1787 by Howlett, who maintained that inclosures did not increase the price of food. The inclosure controversy was interrelated with that on the monopolization of farms by the squeezing out of small farmers. 'Sylva' is perhaps the writer of a topical pamphlet, not traced in the B.M.L. In March 1786 there was a debate on the encouragement of the British turbot fishery. 'Parl. Hist.' xxv. 1156 ff.
Source/Photographer https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1868-0808-5579
Permission
(Reusing this file)		 © The Trustees of the British Museum, released as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

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