date1877

First published 1789 in Edinburgh by the Scottish caricaturist and minaturist John Kay. This satire takes inspiration from a vibrant late-eighteenth century comic trope: commentaries on the stultifying reality of married life. The trope deviated from Hogarth's influential 'Marriage a-la-mode' series (1743-1745) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriage_%C3%A0-la-mode_(Hogarth) in so far as the couple were generally shown as happy prior to marriage. Eschewing 'before' and 'after' panels in favour of a charming interactive element, the picture is a fine example of both Kay's skill and his eye for profit.

runeberg.org/svhistfry/19/0094.html The queen of Sweden, Ulrika Eleonora died in 1741. This link leads to a story that tells of Ulrikas ghost being seen soon after her death in the room depicted here.

Wikipedia: "Ulrika Eleonora avled av smittkoppor i Stockholm den 24 november 1741. Det förekom rykten om förgiftning efter hennes död. Dessa vederlades dock under hennes lit-de-parade i audienssalen rundeln i Kungshuset, eftersom fläckarna efter sjukdomen tydligt kunde ses av besökarna." English translation by Google Translate: "Ulrika Eleonora died of chickenpox in Stockholm on November 24, 1741. There was rumor of poisoning after her death. However, these were compensated during her lit-de-parade in the auditorium roundabout at Kungshuset, as the spots after the disease could clearly be seen by the visitors."

Portrait by John Kay after a painting by George Romney (1792) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_Paine.jpg. Kay retains the likeness of Paine if not the political message of the original (where he holds a manuscript copy of his 'Rights of Man'). Likely copied from William Sharp's engraving, Kay's inverted copy (suggestion he traced out his portrait from Sharp's engraving) attests to the desire to know what the infamous Paine looked like.