The Miser's Daughter: 13/20, The Supper at Vauxhall

This print shows a scene at the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, a place of great entertainmnet in the eighteenth century. The main walks were lit by hundreds of lamps as shown in the print and the Gardens were synonomous with romantic assignations. Here Hilda meets Randulph while dinner is being served.

The Miser's Daughter is a novel by William Harrison Ainsworth published in 1842.Set in the eighteenth century it is a historical romance which tells the story of Randulph Crew's attempts to marry the daughter of a miser called Scarve. It was illustrated by the prolific caricature artist George Cruikshank (1792-1878). Intertwined with the main plot are various strands which deal with aspects of London society at that time, for instance settlement of estates and wills.