The Famous Mr. Martin Van Butchell, Pupil to the Late Dr. Hunter

Currently not on view

The Famous Mr. Martin Van Butchell, Pupil to the Late Dr. Hunter

1803

Artist/maker unknown, British

Quacks went to great extremes to achieve notoriety, often dressing elaborately and behaving strangely. Martin Van Butchell (1736?-1814?) was an eccentric surgeon and dentist who paraded through London on a white pony painted with purple spots while peddling real and artificial teeth. He was famous for having had his wife embalmed and placed on view in a glass-lidded case in the sitting room of his London home. "Dr. Van Cheathall," the name on a signpost in the print after Robert Dighton at right, was intended as an obvious reference to Van Butchell.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

The Famous Mr. Martin Van Butchell, Pupil to the Late Dr. Hunter
From The Wonderful and Scientific Museum: or Magazine of remarkable characters . . . , Vol. I (London, 1803)

Date:

1803

Artist:

Artist/maker unknown, British

Medium:

Etching and engraving

Dimensions:

Plate: 8 5/16 x 10 9/16 inches (21.1 x 26.8 cm) Sheet: 10 9/16 x 8 1/8 inches (26.8 x 20.6 cm)

Classification:

Prints

Credit Line:

The William H. Helfand Collection, 2004

Accession Number:

2004-99-14

Geography:

Possibly made in England, Europe

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Currently not on view