I shared an in depth look at Regency era influencer Pierce Egan and his blowout hit “Life in London” last month. It was so popular it was adapted to stage and multiple imitators, plagiarizers, and pirates took advantage of loose copyright laws to churn out their own versions.
Real Life in London credits Pierce Egan, but the illustrations are obviously not from either Cruikshank, and the story and storytelling is markedly different but nevertheless fascinating, charming, and the illustrations delightful. The illustrations are credited to Heath, AIken, Dighton, Brooke, and Rowlandson, Rowlandson probably being the most familiar name to Regency Readers as a notable artist and caricaturist.
The story features the country squire Bob Tallyho, and his tonish cousin the Honorable Tom Dashall (compared with Egan’s Jerry Hawthorn, Esq, and Corinthian Tom) and leaves off the other characters Bob Logic and Rakish Kate. Some of the plates are startling similar in concept and execution, but the story is not as crisp or original. I still think it gives us a slice of life for 1820s Regency London.
Here is a sample of some of this volume’s prose:
You can click on this text to open the 1905 reprint that has been scanned to Google Books and enjoy this pirated piece of work yourself. It really quite amusing and features a coaching inn, presentation at the Levee, a Corinthian’s ball, and a variety of other high and low society “hot spots” throughout London.
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