Glasgow Looking Glass #5
"Shipping News" in Glasgow Looking Glass #5 (1825) follows the journey of a single coat through the lives of six distinct Londoners, each encountering it in a different moment of their day. Written and illustrated by William Heath—handling every aspect of the art and lettering—this quietly observant tale traces the coat’s passage from valet to pawnbroker, auction block, and finally to the streets, where its worn fabric still holds a trace of its former shape. The cover by William Heath complements the story’s subtle, period-accurate detail, capturing the coat’s lingering presence in a city that moves on.
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Old Closh: The valet hands the coat to a Jew wearing three hats and dilapidated unmatched boots. Monmouth Street: A shopman adjusts the (renovated) coat on a would-be dandy. Visit to my Aunt's Husband: The purchaser, wearing a long cape, hands the garment to a pawnbroker. Auction Unredeemed Pledges: The auctioneer in his rostrum with raised hammer points down at the coat which his man holds up to a group of bidders. A peg lower: Still fashionable in shape, the coat is worn by one of two porters carrying boxes on a stretcher. Lower Still: Much tattered, it is worn by a street-scavenger.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).