Pamela is married [Pamela, Plate 9]

Date1745

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

Engraver L. Truchy

MediumLine engraving and etching on laid paper

DimensionsOverall: 12 5/8 × 16 1/4 in (32.07 × 41.27cm) (includes false margins)
Other (Platemark): 11 7/8 × 14 7/8 in (30.16 × 37.78cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1968-280,9

DescriptionThe lower margin reads: "Jos. Highmore inv.t et pinxit./ L. Truchy sculp./ The marriage Ceremony performed in M.r B.'s own Chappel/ by M.r Williams, M.r Peters giving her away, M.rs Jewkes waits/ behind Pamela and the maid keeps the door./ La Ceremonie du Mariage, qui se fait dans la Chaplle/ de M.r B. par M.r Williams; M.r Peters la presente, Jewkes/ se tient derriere Pamela, et la servants garde la porte./ Published, according to Act of Parliament, July 1.st 1745."Label TextThis is part nine 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 ninth scene, Mr. B and Pamela are hastily married in his own chapel in Lincolnshire by Mr. Williams, with Mrs. Jewkes as a witness and Nan, another servant gaurds the door. The inscription reads: "The marriage Ceremony performed in M.r B.'s own Chappel by M.r Williams, M.r Peters giving her away, M.rs Jewkes waits behind Pamela and the maid keeps the door."ProvenanceBefore 1968, Frank Partridge & Sons, Ltd. (London, England); 1968-present, purchased by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)