An unrecorded print of the ages of Man.

The print charts the Georgian man's stages of life, from cradle to grave: the helpless infant, the chearfull healthy school boy, apprentice to a draper, wedded bliss, a magistrate, Lord Mayor, retirement to the country, plagued with gout, walking on crutches, and finally in a coffin placed.

Below each of the 16 vignettes is a line of explanatory text:

An helpless infant sleeps in the cradle
What fears attend his first endeavours to walk
With walking tired he rides the wooden horse
The school he goes a chearful healthy lad
Apprenticed to a Draper he shuts his Maters shop
Set up in trade, he sells goods upon his own account
Now he feels happiness in a married life
His children next engage his love and care
As Magistrate he puts laws in force
His conduct is approved, and chosen Lord Mayor
Retired from business he leads a country life
Afflicted with the gout, he spends his days in pain
Old age creeps on apace, and with two sticks he walks
The crutches now support his tottering frame
Faintly he breaths, his sight and speech are gone
A breathless corpse - he's in a coffin placed.

At the base of the print are four lines, outlining the good life:

Innocence has nothing to fear
Knowledge procure admiration
Let honour be your faithful guide
Modesty is Commonly abused

The print bears a great similarity to Henry Cariington Bowles, and Samuel Carver's example, published around 1800. The text and images are the same, but this example is clearly from a different plate, as the present example measures 310mm square, rather than 250 by 170mm.

We are unable to trace any institutional example of the print.