Death's doings; consisting of numerous original compositions, in prose and verse, the friendly contributions of various writers; principally intended as illustrations of twenty four plates, designed and etched by R. Dagley / [Richard Dagley].

  • Dagley, Richard, -1841
Date:
1826
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Death's doings; consisting of numerous original compositions, in prose and verse, the friendly contributions of various writers; principally intended as illustrations of twenty four plates, designed and etched by R. Dagley / [Richard Dagley]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Mr. DTsraeli, in his “ Theory of the Skele- ton,” has shown that a tendency similar to that which has just been noticed pervaded many of the writers on the subject of Death. “ When,” observes this ingenious and intelli- gent author, “ the artist succeeded in conveying to the eye the most ludicrous notions of Death, the poet also discovered in it a fertile source of the burlesque. The curious collector is ac- quainted with many volumes where the most extraordinary topics have been combined with this subject. They made the soul and body de- bate together, and ridiculed the complaints of a damned soul! The greater part of the poets of the time were always composing on the subject of Death in their humorous pieces. “ Of a work of this nature, a popular favour- ite was long the one entitled, ‘ Le Faut Mourir, et les Excuses Inutiles qu’on apporte a cette Ne- cessity ; a tout en vers burlesques, 1656.’ Jaques Jaques, a canon of Aubrun, was the writer, who humorously says of himself, that he gives his