Boydell Shakespeare Gallery – Merry Wives of Windsor
The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act II, Scene I from the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery
This scene captures Mistress Ford and Mistress Page, two of the play’s central female characters, as they compare letters from the foolish and lecherous Sir John Falstaff. Both women have received identical love letters from Falstaff, prompting them to plot his comedic humiliation in revenge. The illustration shows the two women standing outside, mid-conversation, richly dressed in 18th-century fashion, each holding one of the letters. Their facial expressions and body language convey amusement and intrigue—perfectly capturing the wit and mischief of Shakespeare’s comedy.
MRS. Ford. Why, this is the very same, the very hand, the very words. What doth he think of us?
The setting includes a backdrop of English countryside and cottage architecture, styled to evoke the domestic, middle-class world of the play. The use of stipple engraving again allows for smooth tonal transitions and delicate rendering of fabrics, particularly in the women’s ornate lace and silk gowns. This example retains full margins and shows a clean, strong impression, with hand-coloring well preserved. Sheet with light foxing, primarily in the margins.
Rev. William Peters (1742–1814), the painter of this scene, was known for his graceful portraits and theatrical compositions. As a clergyman and Royal Academician, he brought refinement and moral clarity to his depictions, making him a fitting contributor to the Boydell project.
The engraving was executed by Robert Thew (1758–1802), who held the prestigious title of Historical Engraver to the Prince of Wales. Thew specialized in stipple and line engraving and was responsible for many of the most technically accomplished plates in the Boydell Shakespeare series.
Together, Peters and Thew created a visual interpretation that balances comic energy with elegance—a testament to both Shakespeare’s storytelling and the neoclassical ideals of 18th-century British art.
Published 1791 - 1792
Full Sheet: 50 x 66 cm
These stipple engravings were created in the late 18th century are part of a celebrated series commissioned for the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery, a landmark effort to pair Britain’s greatest literary figure with the talents of leading contemporary artists and engravers. The result was a visual celebration of Shakespeare’s plays that helped shape English cultural identity at the end of the Georgian era.
John and Josiah Boydell who conceived the idea of “a fine Edition of Shakespeare” comparable to the rival the elegant volumes with which the French celebrated their great writers which would be richly illustrated with works by the great artists of the period. As part of the plan, they also decided to create a “Shakespeare Gallery” and to commission distinguished artists such as Sir Joshua Reynolds, George Rommy, and Benjamin West to do a series of oils depicting scenes and caracters from the plays. The paintings would be exhibited in the Gallery and serve as the basis for two series of prints. The large prints were published as part of an imperial foilo album without text. These large format engravings ere apparently part of that group. A seperate set of smaller engravings were made to accompany the text.
The Shakespeare Gallery, housed in its own building at Pall Mall, became on of the main tourist attractions for visitors to London at the end of the eighteenth century.
Painted by the Rev.d W.m Peters. Engraved by Rob.t Thew.
Historical Engraver to H.R.H. the Prince of Wales.
SHAKSPEARE.
Merry Wives of Windsor
ACT II. SCENE I.
MRS. Ford. Why, this is the very same, the very hand, the very words. What doth he think of us?
MRS. Page. Nay, I know not: it makes me almost ready to wrangle with mine own honesty.
Published Dec.r 25, 1791, by JOHN & JOSIAH BOYDELL, at the Shakespeare Gallery, Pall Mall; & No.90, Cheapside, London.
In situ mockup with separate engraving from the same series. Frames not included.
