A wife being sold at Smithfield Market, London Size:S: 40 x 30cm supported on a box

supported on a box

View of St Mary Lambeth and Lambeth Palace

The premises of a silk hat manufacturer are visible

'Joseph Curtis' Portrait of a stern-looking man in coat and lace cuffs

'The Westminster canvass'

A wife being sold at Smithfield Market, London Size:S: 40 x 30cm supported on a boxA wife being sold at Smithfield Market, London, 1816. A woman stands with a rope round her neck, like an animal; Smithfield is a cattle market. A man presumably her husband holds the rope. Another man chucks her under the chin. People have assembled for the spectacle, and dogs and small boys enjoy the excitement. A publican stands outside his tavern in his apron to watch.