Pamela leaves Mr B's house in Bedfordshire [Pamela, Plate 5]

Date1745

After work by Joseph Highmore (ca. 1692-1780)

Engraver Antoine Benoist 1721 - 1770

MediumLine engraving and etching on laid paper

DimensionsOverall: 12 5/8 × 16 3/8 in (32.07 × 41.59cm) (includes false margins)
Other (Platemark): 11 7/8 × 15 in (30.16 × 38.1cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1968-280,5

DescriptionThe lower margin reads: "Jos. Highmore inv. et pinx./ A. Benoist sculp./ Pamela setting out in the traveling Chariot (for her Father's, as she is made to/ believe) takes her farewel of M.rs Jervis, and the other servants; M.r B. observing/ her from the window; by whose private order she is carried into Lincolnshire./ Pamela prete a partir dans le carosse de voyage (s'imiginant qu'on va la conduire/ chez son pere,) prend conge de Mad.me Jervis et des autres domestiques. M.r B. qui a donne des ordres secrets pour la mener a son autre maison la regarde de la fenetre./ Published, according to Act of Parliament, 1.st July 1745."Label TextThis is part five of a twelve-part series based on Samuel Richardson's highly successful epistolatory novel Pamela: Or Virtue Rewarded which was one of the most influential works of English literature of the 18th century. Written in the form of letters and journal entries through the eyes of Pamela Andrews, a 15-year-old domestic servant, as she as she rejects the repeated failed seductions and attempted kidnappings by her wealthy employer, Mr. B. It's also a work of conduct literature about marriage, morality, and social class. It's heroine, Pamela navigates her low position in society and her religious training to remain "virtuous" against all odds. Between 1744 and 1745, the painter Joseph Highmore published advertisements seeking subscribers to support the publication of engravings based on his twelve paintings representing scenes from the novel. The prints were published with inscriptions in English and French to appeal to a wide audience.

In the fifth scene, Mr. B, furious at Pamela's continued rejections and for telling Mrs. Jervis about his behavior, sends her to his Lincolnshire estate. Pamela bids Farwell to the other servants from the carriage, thinking she is heading home to her family but instead, Mr. B has ordered the driver to take her to Lincolnshire: The caption reads: "Pamela setting out in the traveling Chariot (for her Father's, as she is made to believe) takes her farewell of M.rs Jervis, and the other servants; M.r B. observing her from the window; by whose private order she is carried into Lincolnshire."ProvenanceBefore 1968, Frank Partridge & Sons, Ltd. (London, England); 1968-present, purchased by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)