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| Keywords: Taming-shrew-1815.jpg TAMEING <small>A</small> SHREW or PETRUCHIO'S PATENT FAMILY BEDSTEAD <small>GAGS</small> <i>Thumscrews</i> October 1815 London caricature by Williams whose title is an allusion to Shakespeare's play The Taming of the Shrew Most spousal abuse at the time tended to be due to inebriated louts who crudely pounded on their wives in fits of drunken rage after returning home from an evening of heavy carousing -- but Petruchio in this print seems to take a rather more dispassionately systematic approach using techniques similar to modern bondage practices to establishing who's the boss in the marriage Mrs Petruchio is shown confined to a canopied four-poster bed whose head and foot are stocks while Petruchio menaces her with cane and gag On the table is Petruchio's patent and the thumbscrews while the books Rule a Wife and Have a Wife and a torn copy of The Whole Duty of Woman are on the floor A placard reading LOVE HONOR and OBEY with Obey written in larger letters hangs along the wall inside the bed's canopy This is a quote from the traditional wedding ceremony in which only the woman promises to obey and the way that the woman's shoes corset and red garment are strewn carelessly on the floor or over a chair may suggest that this is their wedding night The depiction of the bed was probably imaginative rather than being based closely on a real-life model lit de travers à double tombeau http //www loc gov/pictures/resource/cph 3f03804/ http //www loc gov/pictures/item/92522401/ This image was carefully manipulated to preserve and sharpen actual useful details while excluding and blurring as much of the paper imperfections and ink imperfections as possible 1815 Williams published by Thomas Tegg PD-old-100 Beds in art Canopy beds Caricatures of the United Kingdom Nightcaps headgear The Taming of the Shrew 1815 BDSM stocks Historic BDSM art BDSM furniture Thomas Tegg | ||||
