Thomas Ryder & William Hamilton

Shakespeare. Love's Labour's Lost. Act IV, Scene I. Publish'd June 4. 1793. by John & Josiah Boydell. at the Shakspeare Gallery Pall Mall, & No. 90, Cheapside. Engraved by Thos. Ryder. Painted by Wm. Hamilton Esqr. R. A.

Princess. Was that the king that spurr'd his horse so hard
Against the steep uprising of the hill?

Boyet. I know not; but, I think, it was not he.

Princess. Whoe'er he was, he show'd a mounting mind.
Well, lords, to-day we shall have our despatch;
On Saturday we will return to France. -
Then, forester, my friend, where is the bush,
That we must stand and play the murderer in?

Forester. Here by, upon the edge of yonder coppice;
A stand, where you may make the fairest shoot.

Princess. I thank my beauty, I am fair that shoot,
And thereupon thou speak'st the fairest shoot.

Forester. Pardon me, madam, for I meant not so.

Princess. What, what! first praise me, and then again say,
no?
O short-liv'd pride! Not fair? alack for woe!

Forester. Yes, madam, fair.

Princess. Nay, never paint me now;
Where fair is not, praise cannot mend the brow.
Here, good my glass, take this for telling true;
[Giving him money.]
Fair payment for foul words is more than due.

This Thomas Ryder engraving, based upon a painting by William Hamilton Esqr. R. A., depicts a scene from one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, Love's Labour's Lost, Act Four, Scene, One. The scene takes place at the pavilion in the park, near the palace with the Princess, Forester, Boyet, and the attendants preparing to hunt deer. Characters in the play include the Princess (an intelligent young woman, and heir to the throne of France), Forester (the man who attends to the princess during the hunt), Boyet (the lord who attends the Princess of France and helps her thwart the plans of the men courting), Attendants (the lovely Rosaline, Maria and Katherine) the Courtiers, (King Ferdinand of Navaree, Lord Dumain, Lord Longaville, & Lord Berowne), and others. This Shakespearean comedy begins with King Ferdinand of Navaree and his three lords, Dumain, Longaville, and Berowne wishing to gain everlasting fame as the most brilliant of men, so they sign a contract to forsake all worldly pleasures (women, food, sleep, etc.), in pursuit of knowledge and scholarly matters for a period of three years. When the Princess of France and her attendants arrive on a diplomatic mission, King Ferdinand refuses to let them stay in his castle, sending them away to lodged in a tent in the park. Needless to say, the king and his three companions are unable to to keep their pledges and end up falling in love, so they scheme to win the women's hearts. However, the princess now indents to outwit the king and his three lords at their own game, etc....

This original engraving is an 'Open Letter Proof Impression'. 3. 'Open Letter Proofs'. These impressions bear the title of the play. the heading, 'Shakspeare' (Shakespeare), is yet to be filled in with stippling. These impressions were printed before the publication of the first edition and were probably struck from the plate at a customer's request. Perhaps ten to twenty Open Letter Proofs exist for each engraving.. The text below the image of this proof impression reads;

"Shakespeare. Love's Labour's Lost. Act IV, Scene I. Publish'd June 4. 1793. by John & Josiah Boydell. at the Shakspeare Gallery Pall Mall, & No. 90, Cheapside. Engraved by Thos. Ryder. Painted by Wm. Hamilton Esqr. R. A."

Note: As this is an original proof impression, it lacks the following text that appears in later impressions.

__________Then, forester, my friend, where is the bush,
That we must stand and play the murderer in?
For. Here by, upon the edge of yonder coppice;
A stand, where you may make the fairest shoot.

An Important Note on Boydell States and Editions: Proof impressions and true first edition impressions are easily identified by their fine lines and strong contrasts of black and white tones. Later more common editions print in a more overall grey tone and contain areas of re-working. Briefly, the publishing history of these great engravings can be categorized into five states or editions:

1. 'Artist's Proofs'. These are the earliest of states and were printed in only a handful of impressions. They are identified not only by their vibrant lines and tones but by the fact that they lack any letters along the lower margin.
2. 'Proofs Before Title'. These impressions usually contain the names of the artist, publisher and engraver along the lower margin. They lack the title of the specific play depicted and usually the heading -- 'Shakspeare' -- is smaller than in the published edition. Once again, this state was printed in a very small numbers.
3. 'Open Letter Proofs'. These impressions bear the title of the play. the heading, 'Shakspeare' (Shakespeare), is yet to be filled in with stippling. These impressions were printed before the publication of the first edition and were probably struck from the plate at a customer's request. Perhaps ten to twenty Open Letter Proofs exist for each engraving.
4. 'First Edition Impressions'. The completed set of Boydell's Shakespeare engravings was published in London in 1803. The full publisher's address appears along the lower margin as well as the text for the play. The heading, 'Shakspeare', is now filled in with stippling. Both first edition impressions and proofs were most often printed on either hand-made, laid paper or wove paper bearing the 'J. Whatman' watermark.
5. 'Posthumous Impressions and Restrikes' As early as 1807, John Stockdale of London issued a second edition of the Shakespeare prints. They continued to be published throughout the first half of the nineteenth century. Finally, in 1852, an enterprising dentist in New York City (with the delightful name of Shearjashub Spooner) acquired the plates, restored them and produced the last edition. These prints are most commonly offered for sale.

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