Taking Up a Fare – "All the World's A Stage" 1837

"Taking Up a Fare – "All the World's a Stage", a satirical lithograph by John Doyle from 1837, depicts a horse-drawn carriage overflowing with passengers, symbolizing the overcrowded state of British society. Doyle's caricature highlights the diverse social classes jostling for space, emphasizing the anxieties of a rapidly changing England. The artwork’s title, a play on Shakespeare’s "As You Like It", further underscores this commentary on social hierarchy and the absurdity of the human condition. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, houses this intriguing 19th-century social commentary.