Knave Wins All- MODERN HOSPITALITY 31 - 1792

Curator: James Gillray's etching, aquatint, and engraving, “Knave Wins All - MODERN HOSPITALITY," was produced around March 1792. Notice the vivid, hand-applied watercolors! What do you make of the scene? Editor: I'm immediately struck by the excess. The overflowing piles of gold, the garish clothing... it’s a tableau of grotesque wealth and privilege. You can almost smell the desperation and avarice. Curator: Absolutely! Gillray was a master of satire, using exaggerated figures to critique the social and political climate. Focus on the composition. The crowding around the table emphasizes tension, a vortex of eyes directed to some cards and spilling fortunes. Editor: It's clear this isn't a neutral depiction of a card game. Gillray is commenting on the ways in which the aristocracy were bleeding the country dry, perhaps with political metaphors within a social tableau. I wonder, in terms of "modern hospitality," is he suggesting such a hospitality always extracts a terrible price? Curator: It seems unavoidable. He's implicating everyone, and not letting anyone off the hook: those participating and watching from the sidelines. His emphasis of light and shade reinforces that theme: light upon the spoils of play, and shadows on their faces. Editor: And that inscription below: "To those Worthy Dowagers, who dispos'd of Wins upon Age, the harmless Relief of Amusing Matrons... you charm away our Hearts and in your after years you charm away our Purse..." he paints this thieving as an inescapable cycle. Curator: Note how everyone in the scene has these sort of beaked noses and jutting chins - nobody escapes ridicule. Gillray understood physiognomy, using physical distortions to convey moral failings, though it's hard to imagine how anyone at that table is worthy of admiration! Editor: Gillray understood social structures - the structures of patriarchy, specifically. It would be fascinating to deconstruct how he may both criticize and yet reproduce such power imbalances, as his "types" reassert these structures despite his best satiric intentions. Curator: This close study offers many layers. I appreciate how Gillray can both fascinate and repulse. Editor: It is discomforting. Knowing this piece gives voice to marginalized voices within society adds another significant perspective to any historical review.