The Royal Family at Breakfast by W. M. Thackeray, 1855. Wood-engraving, probably by William Linton. 6.5 cm high by 8.9 cm wide (4 by 3 inches), vignetted, from The Rose and The Ring, p. 1. Second illustration, p. 291. Descriptive headline: "Here Begins The Pantomime." [Click on the image to enlarge it; mouse over links.]
Passage Illustrated: Establishing the Domestic Context
This is Valoroso XXIV., King of Paflagonia, seated with his Queen and only child at their royal breakfast-table, and receiving the letter which announces to His Majesty a proposed visit from Prince Bulbo, heir of Padella, reigning King of Crim Tartary. Remark the delight upon the monarch’s royal features. He is so absorbed in the perusal of the King of Crim Tartary’s letter, that he allows his eggs to get cold, and leaves his august muffins untasted.
"What! that wicked, brave, delightful Prince Bulbo!" cries Princess Angelica; "so handsome, so accomplished, so witty — the conqueror of Rimbombamento, where he slew ten thousand giants!"
"Who told you of him, my dear?" asks His Majesty.
"A little bird," says Angelica. [Chapter I, "Shows How The Royal Family Sate Down To Breakfast," pp. 291-292 in the 1911 edition]
Related Illustrations by W. M. Thackeray (1855)
- William Makepeace Thackeray's Illustrations for The Rose and The Ring, No. 1 through 13
- William Makepeace Thackeray's Illustrations for The Rose and The Ring, No. 14 through 26
- William Makepeace Thackeray's Illustrations for The Rose and The Ring, No. 27 through 41
- William Makepeace Thackeray's Illustrations for The Rose and The Ring, No. 42 through 56
Image scan and text by Simon Cooke (2014), with "Passage Illustrated" added by Philip V. Allingham (2022). [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one. ]
Bibliography
Furniss, Harry. The Rose and The Ring; or, The History of Prince Giglio and the Prince Bulbo. William Makepeace Thackeray's Christmas Books. With illustrations by the author and Harry Furniss. The Harry Furniss Centenary Edition. London: Macmillan and Co., 1911. Pp. 287-428.
Titmarsh, M. A. [W. M. Thackeray]. The Rose and The Ring London: Smith, Elder, 1855.
Created 27 October 2014 Last modified 4 August 2022