Figure descriptions
Illustration is divided into multiple parts. The top half of the illustration depicts
a man sitting in a chair, smoking a
pipe, and reading a book. The top of his head has transformed into a chimney flue,
which emits dark smoke. Behind him, there are
two cherubs. One cherub flies on a pipe, which emits light smoke. The other cherub
stands with both hands on a scholar’s cap. In
front of the man, there is a woman in a very full dress. She turns her head away from
the man and holds her arms in front of her
face, as if shielding herself from the smoke. Behind her, a third cherub in a hoop
skirt flies into the top-left corner away from
the other figures. The cherub’s skirt is encircled by a puff of light smoke. Another
hoop skirt stands on the ground beneath the
cherub, trapping four men in its dome. Billows of smoke separate the top half of the
illustration from the bottom half; the smoke
also divides the bottom half of the illustration into two sections. The left section
depicts the aforementioned woman standing
beside her hoop skirt and lighting it on fire. She now wears a form-fitting dress.
An anthropomorphic pipe with a long stem pops
out of the centre of the ignited hoop skirt. It appears to yell at the man, who shields
his face and turns away. The right
section depicts the man and the woman holding hands. The woman also holds a bouquet
of flowers. Behind them, there is a faint
dream-like outline of an unhappy woman in a hoop skirt. 1/2 page.
