A man sits at a table eating. His mouth is red and large with visible teeth. A cat with visible rib bones sits by his feet., Text: Detested wretch, thou beast with hungry maw, / Mouth like a grave, and ass's under jaw, / If thou could'st have thy wish at thy command, / There'd be speedy famine in the land. / Look at you're [i.e. your] cat, who anxious waits for food, / Whilst through her skin her bones almost protrude; / Thy Valentine for worlds I would not be, / Lest, Glutton as thou art, you should eat me., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
Above his head, the butcher's words appear: "I'll take the last of your 'sacred nine' Mews!!" He holds a meat cleaver and a cat. He stands in front of a butcher's block; sausages and hams hang behind him. He has a large waistline and wears an apron. The valentine mocks butchers' dishonesty, violence, and gluttony., Text: The butcher is a jolly dog, / Gets saucy as he grows fat, / Makes "choice round" of horse's meat, / And "chain sausage" out of cat. / I'd marry a butcher, that I would, / If I could only be sure, / He wouldn't butcher his Valentine / And sell her as sugar cure., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
