Lord Mayor of London, Dick Whittington (), with his legendary cat. Monochrome version of coloured copperplate engraving, first published in 1618, by Renold Elstrack ().
This is a monochrome detail from a high-resolution scan of an original coloured copperplate antique engraving of the Lord Mayor of London, Dick Whittington (), with his legendary cat, by Renold Elstrack (). It was first published in 1618. Richard ('Dick') Whittington served four terms as Lord Mayor of London and inspired a 1604 stage play that was popularised in the 19th century as a pantomime, 'Dick Whittington and his Cat'. Several versions of a traditional folk tale tell of how Dick, a boy from a poor family in the English County of Gloucestershire, sets out for London to make his fortune, accompanied by his cat. He eventually finds prosperity, marries his master's daughter, and becomes Lord Mayor of London - much helped by selling his cat overseas as a champion rat-catcher. In reality, the real Whittington probably came from a prosperous family and acquired further wealth as a merchant. However, in his lifetime he did finance a number of public projects such as drainage systems for poor areas of medieval London. He bequeathed his wealth to establish a charity which today, nearly 600 years later, continues to assist people in need. Renold Elstrack originally engraved this portrait with the Lord Mayor's hand resting on a human skull. However, in later versions the skull was replaced by London print seller Peter Stent (d. 1665) by a cat, as seen here, in a bid to increase sales. Renold (or Reginold) Elstrack (or Elstracke) probably came from a Belgian family, but he was born in London and is regarded as one of the earliest native engravers in England. His most important production was the set of engravings of the kings of England, published in 1618 by Henry Holland.
Size: 6195px × 7993px
Location: London, England
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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