Heath, Satirical Illustration of the Duchess of St Albans, 1829, Print

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Antique print titled 'Run Neighbours Run - St Al_ns is Quadrilling It'. In this print, the Duchess of St Albans … Read more Antique print titled 'Run Neighbours Run - St Al_ns is Quadrilling It'. In this print, the Duchess of St Albans dances a quadrille (a dance performed by four couples) with an unidentified naval officer, whose dancing steps resemble those of the hornpipe, a dance popular among sailors. The other three couples of the quadrille stand around them, looking on. All of the figures are fashionably dressed, with the Duchess' clothing being particularly extravagant. Harriot Mellon, Duchess of St Albans, was a former actress who married the elderly banker Thomas Coutts in 1815. After Coutts' death, she remarried to the Duke of St Albans in 1827, causing a scandal due to his being 23 years younger than she. Mellon, the richest woman in Britain after her husband's death, was a philathropist and patron of the arts, but was a controversial figure in fashionable society due to her humble origins. Satirical prints of the 1820s commonly represent her as being vulgar and obese. The title of the print refers to 'Run Neighbours, Run!', a popular song from the period which commented on the mania for quadrille dancing, but is also a reference to Mellon's weight and dancing skill, implying that her movements would cause noise and disturbance. Satirical print by William Heath, 1829. See less