Robert Laurie (1755-1836) and James Whittle (1757-1818) were London map, chart and printsellers active from 1794 to 1812 trading variously as Laurie and Whittle or Whittle and Laurie. Laurie began his career as a fine mezzotint engraver and exhibited at the Society of Artists from 1770 to 1776. With Whittle, they took over the large map and print business of Robert Sayer. Laurie & Whittle published many atlases and maps and products used for jigsaw puzzles. Robert’s son, Richard Holmes Laurie, succeeded him upon his retirement in 1812, and after Whittle’s death in 1818 carried on the business alone until at least 1840. The firm still exists as Imray, Laurie, Norie and Wilson Ltd., which has long specialized in marine charts.<\/p>\n
Condition: Generally very good with the usual light toning, soiling, wear, soft creases. Few marginal short tears neatly restored.<\/p>\n
Dick Dock, or the Lobster & Claw<\/strong><\/p>\n Dick Dock a tar at Greenwich moor’d, Old Hannibal in words as gross, If Hannibal’s your name, d’ye see, Let’s broach a can before we part, Reference:<\/p>\n Maxted, Ian. “The London book trades 1775-1800: a preliminary checklist of members.” Exeter Working Papers in British Book Trade History.<\/em> 2001. http:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/library\/locstudy\/bookhist\/lonl.html and http:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/library\/locstudy\/bookhist\/lonw.html (18 March 2002).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dick Dock, or the Lobster & Crab (Plate No. 438)<\/strong> A narrative poem or song about the confrontation between two old sailors outdoor table of a tavern overlooking the port of Greenwich on the Thames River, illustrated with an engraving. Dick Dock, a wild-eyed man with a wooden leg, begins a drunken rant taunting a stranger about his maimed hand. The other man, Old Hannibal, replies that if he’s a lobster, Dock’s a crab, and that a man with a missing leg has some nerve spouting such insults. On hearing the name Old Hannibal, Dick Dock instantly regrets his words, realizing this is the man who had plunged into the water and rescued him from marauding sharks, who in the process tore at his arm. Hannibal, in turn, realizes that Dock is the man who successfully pleaded on his behalf to the enemy French sailors who boarded the ship in the aftermath of the shark incident. The two old sailors make up and end by toasting King George and Britain. The poem is reprinted below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5837,"template":"","meta":{"wds_primary_product_brand":0,"wds_primary_product_cat":0,"footnotes":""},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[956],"product_tag":[42,3622,2732,2729,2730,586,1512,2435,498,1610,2288,2731,1089,1673,3524,2140,2733,709,2289],"class_list":{"0":"post-5836","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-genre-humor","7":"product_tag-19th-century","8":"product_tag-copperplate","9":"product_tag-crab","10":"product_tag-dick","11":"product_tag-dock","12":"product_tag-england","13":"product_tag-engraving","14":"product_tag-genre","15":"product_tag-greenwich","16":"product_tag-humor","17":"product_tag-laurie","18":"product_tag-lobster","19":"product_tag-poem","20":"product_tag-print","21":"product_tag-sailor","22":"product_tag-satire","23":"product_tag-thames","24":"product_tag-view","25":"product_tag-whittle","26":"post","27":"post-with-thumbnail","28":"post-with-thumbnail-large","30":"first","31":"instock","32":"purchasable","33":"product-type-simple"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/5836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/5836\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16946,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/5836\/revisions\/16946"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=5836"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=5836"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=5836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nOne day had got his beer on board,
\nWhen he a poor maim’d pensioner from Chelsea saw;
\nAnd for to have his jeer and flout —
\nFor the grog once in, the wit’s soon out,
\nCries, How, good Master Lobster did you lose your claw;
\nWas’t that night in a drunken fray?
\nOr t’other, when you run away?
\nBut hold you Dick, the poor sot has one foot in the grave,
\nFor slander’s wind too fast you fly,
\nDo you think it fun? you swab you lie,
\nMisfortunes ever claim the pity of the brave.<\/p>\n
\nFor he like Dick had got his dose,
\nSo to have his bout at grumbling took a spell;
\nIf I’m a lobster, Master Crab,
\nBy the information on your nab,
\nIn some skirmish or other they have crack’d your shell;
\nAnd then how you hobbling go,
\nOn that jury-mast, your timber-toe
\nA nice one to find fault, with one foot in the grave;
\nBut halt! Old Hannibal, halt! halt!
\nDistress was never yet a fault,
\nMisfortunes ever claim the pity of the brave.<\/p>\n
\nAs sure as they Dick Dock call me,
\nAs once it did fall out, I ow’d my life to you;
\nSpilt from my hause once when ’twas dark,
\nAnd nearly swallow’d by a shark,
\nWho boldly plung’d in, sav’d me and pleas’d all the crew.
\nIf that’s the case then, cease your jeers,
\nWhen boarded by the same Monsieurs,
\nYou, like a true English lion, snatch’d me from the grave,
\nCrying, Cowards! do the Man no harm;
\nDamme, don’t you see he’s lost his arm:
\nMisfortunes ever claim the pity of the brave.<\/p>\n
\nA friendly one with all my heart,
\nAnd as we push the grog about, we’ll cheerly sing,
\nOn land and sea may Britons fight;
\nThe Worlds example and delight,
\nAnd conquer every enemy of George our King:
\nTis he who proves the hero’s friend,
\nHis beauty waits us to our end,
\nTho’ crippled and laid up, with, one foot in the grave;
\nThen, tars and soldiers never fear,
\nYou shall not want compassion’s tear,
\nMisfortunes ever claim the pity of the brave.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nLaurie & Whittle, 53 Fleet Street, London: August 16, 1806
\nCopperplate engraving
\n9 x 10 1\/2 inches, sheet
\n8 1\/2 x 9 1\/2 inches, image including text
\n$100<\/p>\n