Matrimonial Harmonics (Recto) c. 1805

Editor: Here we have "Matrimonial Harmonics," an etching by James Gillray from around 1805, currently at the Art Institute of Chicago. The scene feels chaotic and kind of…bitter? There’s so much happening. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Indeed! It's brimming with symbols, all clashing against each other. Note the 'harmonics' of the title. What *is* harmonious about this scene? Consider the symbols of domesticity – the music, the tea service, the family itself – each element seems to be at war. Do you sense how the "music" is received by others? Editor: Not very well! The maid is about to hit the piano with a mallet, and the baby's crying, so no one appreciates music as a refinement or pleasant relaxation in this house, more of a marital torture! Curator: Precisely. The image employs domestic chaos to reveal deeper societal anxieties about marriage, doesn’t it? Marriage here isn't about love but societal pressure, as shown by the cold couple and their interior: cluttered and unsettling, and what do we call an instrument to record atmospheric temperature in order to describe what that symbol conveys within this context? Editor: You mean the thermometer on the wall! Even that shows the tension, since it points to "hot," adding to the picture's theme of emotional unrest. I thought the piece was funny at first, but now I see how critical Gillray is being. Curator: And consider how Gillray is engaging with older traditions of comic art here; for centuries, marital discord has served as both humor and social critique. How does viewing this drawing connect us to those past conversations about marriage, about social roles? Editor: I now get that the drawing goes beyond making us laugh, but helps us reflect on the ever changing dynamic between two souls vowing to be together till death do them part and that requires sacrifice! Thanks so much.