Title

John Gilpin on his bolting horse being chased by passers-by, 1878, (c1918). Creator: Randolph Caldecott.

Caption

John Gilpin on his bolting horse being chased by passers-by, 1878, (c1918). Riders shout 'Stop thief! Stop thief! A Highwayman!', and set off in pursuit, wrongly assuming that as Gilpin is being chased by the postboy, he must be a criminal. A signpost points to Ware in Hertfordshire. John Gilpin was the subject of a comic ballad of 1782 by William Cowper entitled "The Diverting History of John Gilpin". The ballad, based on real-life character, describes how, on a journey to Edmonton (north in London), Gilpin, a draper, became separated from his wife and children after losing control of his horse, and ended up in the town of Ware, ten miles away from his intended destination. From "The Diverting History of John Gilpin", by William Cowper. [Frederick Warne and Co., London & New York, c1918]
The Print Collector collection

Date

1918

Credit line

Photo12/Heritage Images/The Print Collector

Reference

HRM19D55_156

Model release

No

License type

Rights managed

Available size

60,0Mb (3,8Mb) / 21,0in x 11,1in / 6309 x 3324 (300dpi)

Keywords

travel animal countryside road England people male man men animals horses horse riding rider country guy British English color humour chasing lane panic galloping avenue road sign location hertfordshire century signpost Britain concept whip United Kingdom out of control metaphor ware Alarmed Colour 18th century 1910s 20th century Eighteenth Century The Print Collector John Gilpin TGN street William Randolph Caldecott William Cowper Cowper Caldecott Randolph William Cowper