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A Girl Singing Ballads By a Paper Lanthorn

Engraver James Watson Irish
After Henry Robert Morland British
Publisher William Wynne Ryland British
1767–81
Not on view
Here, a young woman uses a candle shielded by a paper wrapper to illuminate printed song sheets held in her left hand. Considering the subject—a street vendor advertising bawdy lyrics sold for boisterous communal song in taverns and coffeehouses—the mood is hushed and still. The paper lantern covers the woman's mouth, revealing only a glimpse of lip, and her covered body seems at odds with her profession, which suggests loose virtue. Light and design direct our focus toward one almond-shaped eye above the glowing lantern. These essentials—an eye that sees, a lantern that illuminates text—turn the scene on one level into an allegory of sight.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: A Girl Singing Ballads By a Paper Lanthorn
  • Engraver: James Watson (Irish, Dublin ca. 1740–1790 London)
  • Artist: After Henry Robert Morland (British, London (?) 1716?–1797 London)
  • Publisher: William Wynne Ryland (British, baptized London 1732–1783 London)
  • Date: 1767–81
  • Medium: Mezzotint; second state
  • Dimensions: sheet: 12 3/4 x 9 in. (32.4 x 22.9 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953
  • Object Number: 53.600.1892
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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