The New Murrey and Blue blog

Recently I came across this print by Robert Walton, who was a 17thc printer and publisher. It was a part of a series of Kings. Although the rather bad poem beneath the picture toes the usual line, no doubt influenced by a certain Mr William Shakespeare’s then fairly new play, the drawing itself, although not terribly flattering,  does not  show the very haggard and aged depiction of Richard that starts to appear from the 1600’s onwards. Nor does it show deformity, although we have the broken sceptre image. Of the 7 prints I have seen in this series, most of the Kings get quite unflattering descriptions, although I think John got off rather lightly, considering!

Walton had his shop in the churchyard of St Paul’s at the Globe and Compasses–churchyard and even the churches themselves were busy places for all sorts of trade long ago. He was originally from Northamptonshire and seems a bit of a character…although definitely no poet.

Walton’s biography https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG61411