Mr Henderson and Mr Charteris
Of the Theatre Royal, Edinburgh,
In the Character of Sir John Falstaff and Bardolph
An Antique Theatre Print by John Kay, 1789
Print Title: Mr Henderson and Mr Charteris, of the Theatre Royal, Edinburgh, in the Character of Sir John Falstaff and Bardolph - Antique Print by John Kay, dated 1789
Plate No. 63, Volume 1
Size: The size of the image to the plate edge is 15.5 x 18.0 cm. Overall print size including the margins is approximately 21 x 26 cm.
Provenance /Publisher: This is a plate taken from ‘A Series of Original Portraits and Caricature Etchings by the late John Kay, Miniature Painter, Edinburgh, Vol. 1’. Published by Hugh Paton, Carver and Gilder to her Majesty Queen Victoria. Edinburgh 1837 (See the scanned image of the title page).
Authenticity: This is a genuine antique print.
Condition: Very Good. Suitable for framing. The print may have some minor foxing or browning, however this will mainly be confined to the margins and does not affect the image.
Biographical details: The biographical sketch that was printed with the portrait etching can be found using the term: Edinburgh Bookshelf Kay's Originals and choosing Volume 1 or 2 as appropriate.
About the Artist: John Kay (1742 – 1826) was a Scottish caricaturist and engraver. He was born near Dalkeith, where his father was a mason. At thirteen he was apprenticed to a barber, whom he served for six years. He then went to Edinburgh, where in 1771 he obtained the freedom of the city by joining the corporation of barber-surgeons. In 1785, induced by the favour which greeted certain attempts of his to etch in aquafortis, he took down his barber's pole and opened a small print shop in Parliament Close.
His etchings chronicled all walks of life in Edinburgh society at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Having turned to etching relatively late in life, he produced many hundreds of original naïve and mostly humorous portraits of his fellow citizens.
There is an excellent short biography of Kay written by Caroline Karpinski of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Use the term: Original Portraits - Metropolitan Museum of Art John Kay pdf
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