Pickwick Papers: Wellers pere et fils at the Blue Boar

Pickwick Papers: Wellers pere et fils at the Blue Boar

This is the fourth of a short series of images I created especially for fascinating daily blog Spitalfields Life, which had featured me (and my Oranges & Lemons print) in May last year.

I had mentioned to 'the Gentle Author' that half of one chapter of the Pickwick Papers was set in Brick Lane and so we conceived the idea of a collaboration of sorts - the GA would post an edited form of Chapter 32 and I would provide the illustrations (8 in toto).

Here we have Pickwick's servant Sam Weller (Sancho Panza to Pickwick's Don Quixote if you like) at his table in the Blue Boar inn at Leadenhall Market. Beside him, with his back to the fire (it is February after all!), stands his rotund coach-driver father Tony. He is here listening to his son reading aloud the Valentine the younger Weller has written to his sweetheart Mary. "Mister Weller the elder delivers some critical sentiments respecting literary composition", as you can see here!

This image is based, loosely, on an illustration by Phiz (I think!) in the original edition.

http://spitalfieldslife.com/2011/02/16/the-brick-lane-temperance-association/
http://spitalfieldslife.com/2010/05/19/paul-bommer-illustrator-printmaker/