Artwork
H Beard Print Collection
H Beard Print Collection is a print by the Romanticist artist Marcellus Laroon. It dates from 1760 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
This print is one of six in the series 'The Cries of London in Six Parts,' created by Marcellus Laroon. It depicts a street performer known as a Posture Master, a figure who demonstrated physical contortions for public amusement or artistic modeling. The scene captures a moment of everyday urban life in late 17th-century London, rendered with observational detail and subtle humor.
Subject & Meaning
The Posture Master, engaged in an exaggerated physical pose, is observed by a monkey seated nearby, mimicking his stance. This visual parallel suggests commentary on imitation, performance, and the blurring of human and animal behavior. The title’s ironic phrasing—'Who rewards the Posture Master?'—questions societal value placed on such transient, marginal labor.
Technique & Style
Laroon employed fine line engraving to render textures and gestures with precision. Figures are rendered in lively, slightly caricatured proportions, emphasizing movement and expression. The composition is tightly framed, focusing attention on the interaction between performer and observer, with minimal background detail to heighten the immediacy of the scene.
History & Provenance
The series was published in London around 1687–1688, during a period of growing interest in documenting urban life. Laroon, a Dutch-born artist active in England, produced these prints as part of a broader trend in visual ethnography. The prints circulated among collectors and were later reissued in various forms, preserving their depiction of street culture.
Context
In Restoration London, street vendors and performers were common sights, often romanticized or satirized in art. The Posture Master represented a fringe occupation—part entertainer, part model—existing on the margins of society. Laroon’s series captured these figures not as caricatures, but as recognizable individuals within the city’s social fabric.
Legacy
Laroon’s 'Cries of London' series influenced later depictions of urban life in British art and print culture. While not widely known today, the prints remain valuable records of vernacular culture and class dynamics in early modern London. Their blend of observation and wit continues to inform studies of social history and visual representation.
Artist & collection
Artist
Marcellus Laroon spent his days sketching London’s street life—hawkers, soldiers, chimney sweeps—right there on the pavement, chalk in hand.
