“Christmas Gambolls”,

“Christmass Gambolls”, published by R. Wilkinson and Bowles and Carver, ca 1760. British Museum.

A satire on Christmas; A kitchen at Christmas, through the doors on the left-hand side are the family gathered around the dinner table; at the center of the image a butler holding a chair, having just pulled it from beneath the cook who has fallen to the floor and let slip a pan of melted butter in her hand, which has burnt the cat; a young boy behind them has tripped down the stairs dropping a tray of pies; in the back left corner, behind the door a maid attempts to free herself from the lavicious grip of the groom; followed by sixteen lines of verse;

See the etching and read the verse at: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1948-0214-509