13-7/8 x 17-5/8 in. (image) 17-1/8 x 21-1/8 in. (sheet)
Inscribed: Engraved by B. Baron--Invented, Painted and Published by William Hogarth According to Act of Parliament April 1st, 1745
Gift of William George Sullivan
Prints, Drawings, and Photographs
William George Sullivan; given to the John Herron Art Institute, Indianapolis, Indiana, now the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, in 1930.
These are the chambers of a quack doctor that invented the machine on the left—which is capable, it says on the flyleaf of the book, of straightening dislocated limbs and removing corks from bottles. He is known as “Monsieur de la Pillule” (Mr. Pill), which was the actual nickname of Dr. Jean Misaubin, who also appeared in Hogarth’s A Harlot’s Progress and whose patented pill purported to cure venereal disease. This pill has brought the new Lord Squanderfield and his young lover (wearing the same cap that had previously appeared in the husband’s pocket) to Dr. Misaubin’s “museum” in St. Martin’s Lane, Westminster. The pills have been ineffective and are being returned, while the mistress covers a telling sore on her lip with a handkerchief.
Exhibition Name
Venue
Dates
Indianapolis Museum of Art
August 31, 2012 - August 4, 2013
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