(click image to enlarge)
The present drawing refers to a man called Daniel Lambert, who became a celebrity in the early 1800s due to his enormous size. A Leicester-born gaoler as a young man, poverty forced Lambert to travel to London in 1806 to exhibit himself to paying visitors. His warm personality and intelligence saw him quickly become a celebrated and popular member of London society, and visiting him at his rooms on Piccadilly became a highly fashionable activity. He welcomed hundreds of visitors and became very wealthy, before he became tired of being on show and returned to Leicester. Between 1806 and 1809 he embarked on short tours around the country. In June 1809 he was weighed at Huntingdon and was found to weigh 52 stone 11lb. He passed away a few days later in his bed at an inn in Stamford at the age of 39.
It seems highly likely that Thomas Rowlandson visited Daniel Lambert during his time in London. In May 1806, Rowlandson produced an etching, published by Rudolph Ackermann, titled Daniel Lambert, the wonderful great Pumpkin of Little Britannia, depicting Daniel Lambert being brought a large joint of meat, while two men struggle to measure his waistline.
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