Category Archives: Dance of Death

“The Puck of Commentators”

One of Douce’s most assiduous correspondents in the 1790s was the Shakespeare scholar George Steevens (1736-1800), of whom the DNB says that “his wit and the associated learning […] earned him the name of the Puck of Commentators”: From his … Continue reading

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“To the friend of curious and interesting things”

Among Douce’s portraits of artists, there is a silhouette of the Swiss engraver, publisher, and art dealer Christian von Mechel (1737-1817): The print is annotated with Mechel’s dedication to Douce: I beg dear Mr Douce, the friend of curious and … Continue reading

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Dickens Year

We are in Dickens Year: on 7 February, we will be celebrating the 200th anniversary of his birth. A copy of Douce’s The Dance of Death bearing the bookplate of Charles Dickens can be found in the Special Collections of … Continue reading

Posted in Dance of Death, Literature, Lithography, Prints, Satirical prints | Comments Off on Dickens Year