Thomas Stothard, R.A (London 1755-1834)

This drawing appears to be a theatre set design, or possibly a proposal for a mural. Although Stothard is best known for small book and periodical illustrations, he also worked on a large scale, notably between 1799 and 1802, when he painted the staircase of Burghley House for the Marquis of Exeter. Stothard's illustration for the closing scene of Alaric Watts' Lyrics of the Heart, engraved by John Outrim in 1851 (BM 1859, 0611.147) features a canopied day bed that resembles the tent depicted in this drawing.