A rich man and a woman who has visited him for tea gossip about an impoverished gentleman's daughter who is present in his house as a governess: the visitor looks at the governess with a supercilious expression. Engraving by R. Hatfield, 1842, after Richard Redgrave, 1840.

Numerous details in the picture contribute to the narrative. The furnishings of the room include paintings, fine furniture and objects of virtù. On the floor is an issue of the St James's Chronicle (founded 1761; merged with The English churchman in 1843), a book entitled "Pride and poverty; or Tales from the heart" (not verified to be an actual published work), and a sewing bag: possibly the governess has been reading the St James's Chronicle (to her master?), reading the short stories "Pride and poverty" for herself, and sewing, until she had to vacate the chair for the visiting lady. Two servants of the rich man are shown, a maid bringing in the tea and a manservant leaving the room: both make expressions of disgust at the snobbish remarks which the man makes to his visitor behind his hand. On the right side, where the governess stands, there is a bird in a cage and a plant growing naturally in a pot. On the left side, where the snobs are seated, are a parrot uncaged on a perch and cut flowers in vases. According to the Oxford dictionary of national biography (s.v. Redgrave), the composition illustrates an unspecified literary work by (Samuel?) Johnson