DECEMBER. DECEMBRE.

Dateca. 1780

After work by Robert Dighton (1752-1814)

Publisher Carington Bowles (1724 - 1793)

OriginEngland, London

MediumMezzotint engraving on laid paper

DimensionsOH: 14 1/2" x OW: 10 7/8"; Plate H: 14" x W: 9 7/8"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1972-177,12

DescriptionThe lower margin reads: "DECEMBER./ DECEMBRE./ R. Dighton del./ Pritned for & Sold by Carington Bowles,/ N.o 69 in S.t Pauls Church Yard, London./ Published as the Act directs, 337"
Label TextThis print, representing the month of December, is part of a set of twelve prints representing the months of the year. Themed sets, such as this were popular throughout the eighteenth-century in England and America. A young woman sits at a table, her arm resting on an open book, playing cards scattered around, and two candles lite. She holds a snuffer in one hand, and pulls on the bell chain with her other to call a servant. The curtain at the window behind her is pulled, but one corner is pulled open revealing a moon. The table is covered with a cloth. There is a rug on the floor. Acat is asleep at the woman's feet. She is elegantly attired including a shawl to protect her from the winter's cold.