A man is watching a woman through a window. He has spilled a pail of water. The valentine criticizes him for paying attention to the woman and not to his work., Text: The sight of a Boddice, or few stray curls, / Sets your mouth watering after the Girls, / While you are staring with lecherous eyes / Your blundering movements your pail will capsize, / Splashing and pouring all into the street, / Making the passers by white as a sheet; / While you get the sack, as truly you luck it / Deserves for so stupidly kicking the Bucket., "117", Provenance: Helfand, William H..
The rake wears fashionable clothes and carries a walking stick. He smirks and holds his hand to his mouth., Text: Your ruffled shirt bosom and gay flashy vest, / The tip of the mode in which you are dressed, / Your heaps of flash jewels, the strut that you take, / All prove you to be a most licentious rake., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
The house-maid blacks a boot in a kitchen, where the tea pot and kettle have faces. "To have one's swing" means "to allow oneself every freedom." The valentine possibly accuses the maid of having more energy for playing with sweethearts than for her work., Text: Dirty, ugly, vulgar, pert, / So begrimed with grease and dirt, / I vow that I should afraid of, / Seeing what that MAID is MADE of / Tho' call'd MAID OF ALL WORK! they / Say you're often MADE OF PLAY. / And when sweethearts you've your swing / The MAID is quite a different thing., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
The valentine depicts a stout woman with a hooked nose holding three dresses in her arms. "Old Clothes" is written behind her. The border features a woman embracing a man; the pair resemble Commedia dell'arte characters. At the bottom is a pack of matches marked "Lucifer's matches.", Text: My stout Jerusalem artichoke / I greet you with a hearty joke / Because you've cash to lend me when I'm low. / My mind completely rapt it is / Your nose so well adapted is / For snuffing up a bargain of "Old clo'"!, Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
Series of titled comic genre photographs include "Mr. & Mrs. Turtledove's new French cook," "You sweet thing, when did you arrive?" "Now don't be so shy!" "Oh my, but you are lovely," "Sh! Sh! I hear my wife coming," "Heavens, what does she mean," "Well, I am caught sure enough," "She must leave this house at once," "Mr. Turtledove trying to get out of the difficulty," "Mr. Turtledove making promises to be good," "Darling, I love you more than ever," and " Mr. & Mrs. Turtledove's next "French" cook." Images depict a straying husband's relationship with the pretty French cook, his wife's discovery of the relationship, and his attempts and success at reconciling with his wife. The pretty female cook is eventually replaced by an unattractive "French" cook, represented by a man dressed as a woman., Series copyrighted 1902 by William H. Rau., Title supplied by cataloger., Publisher's imprint printed on mounts., Gray curved mounts with rounded corners., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Creator
Rau, William Herman, 1855-1920, photographer
Date
c1902
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department stereo - Rau - Portraits & genre [P.9872.1-12]
