Christopher Clarke Antiques

Take Up Your Bed and Walk

This William Heath satirical engraving was published a year after Wellington reluctantly became Prime Minister and is probably a call for his resignation. His Tory government was not popular and the public were riotous. The text below descibes Wellingtons Camp Bedstead as a highly prized article of furniture that he used throughout the Peninsular campaigns and often conveyed from Downing Street to Walmer Castle as he travelled between the two. However, political sentiment aside, this is one of the few prints that illustrate campaign furniture and it shows that there was a high recognition from the public of Wellingtons preference of his portable metal tubular bed. Published with original colour Oct. 1st 1829 by J. McLean, 26 Haymarket, Sole Publisher of W. Heath etchings. The print has a window mount and backing card but is sold unframed.

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Image size, including the border, is given.