-
Title
-
Catherine at the Pump room
-
Description
-
Here we see Catherine Morland and Henry Tilney sitting at a table in the pump room in Bath. The pump room is a building in the churchyard outside Bath Abbey and is adjacent to the Roman Baths for which the city is named. The Baths were natural hot springs and the upper class in England would often visit the baths on vacation, as they were said to promote good health. The bath house was a restaurant where visitors could drink the mineral-rich water from the hot springs. The building was designed by Beau Nash, the architect who designed much of the city, following the discovery of the Roman ruins in the early 1700s. This signaled the beginning of the popularity of Bath as a spa resort for the English upper class during the Georgian era. Jane Austen lived in Bath from 1801-1806 and set her novels Northanger Abbey and Persuasion in the city. In this image, Catherine and Henry sit together in the pump room, discussing the upcoming ball. This scene occurs in chapter 3 as noted underneath the title of this image. The characters are shown in the traditional regency style, with Henry Tilney wearing waistcoat and tailcoat. Catherine wears the regency style dress with an empire waist. Her hair is worn tied up, as was tradition for women after their “coming out” before the queen, signaling her entrance into society. She holds a fan in her hand. A fan was commonly used both to provide relief from the heat, but also as a means of signaling and conveying messages to others. The regency period dated to the early nineteenth century (1811-1820) when George, Prince of Wales, later George IV (r. 1820-1830), reigned as regent for his mentally ill father, King George III (r. 1760-1820). The regency period is associated with the rise of neoclassicism in art and fashion. The same image appears as the frontispiece for the Dent 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, and 1897 editions of Northanger Abbey.
-
Image Creator
-
William Cubit Cooke (engraver)
-
Identifier
-
mta:25547
-
Source Name
-
Northanger Abbey
-
Image
-
mta_25547_OBJ.png
mta_25547_OBJ.png