George Morland, his life and works . a nights catch. Whateverhis faults, Morland was always as liberal with moneyas with promises. His sense of humour found less reprehensible meansof exercise with his brush. When opportunity occurredto paint for some village inn a sign representing a lion,dog, cat, or other animal, the visage was sure to be acaricature of some intimate friend. It was impossible,Hassell remarks, for him to resist the impulse of themoment, and with the gravest face he would paint themost ludicrous subject. It is easier to reconcile with his love of practicaljoking than his shyn
George Morland, his life and works . a nights catch. Whateverhis faults, Morland was always as liberal with moneyas with promises. His sense of humour found less reprehensible meansof exercise with his brush. When opportunity occurredto paint for some village inn a sign representing a lion,dog, cat, or other animal, the visage was sure to be acaricature of some intimate friend. It was impossible,Hassell remarks, for him to resist the impulse of themoment, and with the gravest face he would paint themost ludicrous subject. It is easier to reconcile with his love of practicaljoking than his shyness another whim which seemsoccasionally to have taken possession of him. When,soon after his marriage, he began to consort with coach-men, postboys, and their fellows, he took it into hishead to dress in a style which lent him the appearanceof a smart groom, and looked the part so well thathe was more than once offered a situation as such. A 192 INNOCENCE ALARMD ; OR, THE FLASH IN THE PAN(Size of original picture 17h x 30 indiet:.). His Life and Works servant of Lord Southampton ^ one day asked thepainters chance companion (a stable-keeper) whetherthe young man happened to want a phice, as he thoughthe would suit his master, who was in want of a on the Hampstead Road, a carriage stoppedand the gentleman within, taking the artist for a servant,called to him to open the door. Morland did so,touching his hat ; his demeanour was so pleasing thatthe gentleman asked him if he happened to want asituation ! To be thus mistaken for what he was not,appealed to his sense of humour ; no doubt it tickledhis vanity as a horsey man to find that he couldact the part of a groom so successfully. One point bearing upon Morlands drinking habitsis to be noticed in this connection. Dawe says headopted the jockey style of dress when he wastwenty-three, and continued it for about ten years ;and that if he looked like a jockey he was yet a smartone. Now the effects of habitual drunkennes
Size: 1393px × 1794px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublisherlondonaandcblack
