The ear-wig, or, An old woman's remarks on the present exhibition of pictures of the Royal Academy : preceded by a petit mot pour rire, instead of a preface : including anecdotes of characters well known amongst the painters, observations on the causes of the decline of the arts, a description of the buildings of Somerset House, and the apartments occupied by the Royal Academy. Dedicated to Sir Joshua Reynolds, R.A.
RA Collection: Book
Record number
14/4220
Variant Title
The earwig, or, An old woman's remarks on the present exhibition of pictures of the Royal Academy
Imprint
London: Printed for G. Kearsley, (no. 46,) Fleet-Street, MDCCLXXXI
Physical Description
vii, [1], 23, [1] pages ; 25 cm.
General Note
At foot of front cover: `Entered at Stationers’-Hall'
James Hughes Anderdon (1790-1879) and William W. Whitley (1858-1942) have both suggested that the author of The Ear-Wig was the artist Mauritius Lowe (1746-1793), but this remains unconfirmed. See:
The introduction (or petit mot pour rire) contains disparaging anecdotes about two painters, one being Johann Zoffany RA. This if followed by generally unflattering reviews of a selection of the works in the 1781 RA annual exhibition. An addenda gives an assessment of the new quarters of the Royal Academy at New Somerset House, where it moved in 1780.