The Thimble Rig: "A Scene from the Derby"

The Thimble Rig: "A Scene from the Derby"

John Doyle

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The imagery of this political satire derives from a speech by Lord Stanley made in Parliament that condemned plans by the government led by Lord Grey to divert Irish church funds to non-religious uses. The gambling game Thimble Rig (a kind of shell game) is being conducted by Edward John Littleton, supported by Lord Russell and Thomas Spring Rice, Lord Althorp and Lord Grey. John Bull stands at left as Stanley warns him against being cheated. At far left, Daniel O'Connell leads an Irishman away who would like to participate but cannot because of lack of funds.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Thimble Rig: "A Scene from the Derby"The Thimble Rig: "A Scene from the Derby"The Thimble Rig: "A Scene from the Derby"The Thimble Rig: "A Scene from the Derby"The Thimble Rig: "A Scene from the Derby"

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.