German luxury - or - repos a l'Allemande

Gillray, James, 1756-1815 · January 22, 1800

A German officer lies on his back on a truckle bed in a poverty-stricken room. He smokes a long curved pipe, emitting clouds of smoke. His bare feet project from the striped duvet which is his only covering. On his nightcap is an insect. The plaster has fallen from the wall leaving large patches of brick; on it hang his sword, cloak, cocked hat, and a bust portrait of Frederick the Great. The only objects on the boarded floor are a close-stool (left) with a torn 'Brussells Gazette,' a chamber-pot, and pair of jack-boots (right) (BM). / A satirical print, said to have been intended to tell upon the German Legion, at the time brought into England (Wright/Evans).