'How Merrily We Live', print, London, England, 1793
- supplier:
- Carington Bowles
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Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
License'How Merrily We Live', print, London, England, 1793
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© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
Mezzotint: How merrily we live that doctors be
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Mezzotint: How merrily we live that doctors be, we humbug the public and pocket the fee. Caricature by Carington Bowles, c. 176-?
The caption of this satirical print reads “How merrily we live that doctors be, we humbug the public and pocket the fee”. (‘Humbug’ is an old term for a hoax or a fraud.) The print was a comment on how doctors charged their patients large fees for treatments that did not necessarily work while getting rich on the profits. It shows how the medical profession were viewed by some in the 1790s. The three doctors in an apothecary shop are finely dressed in expensive clothes and powdered wigs. One doctor has clearly been enjoying his wealth by eating well and becoming rather plump.
