Friday, October 5, 2007

Puss, my apple against thy mouse ile lay, 1646




The Testimony of Sir Purrz-a-Lot:
I HAS ALWAYS ENJOYD TEH ACSHUN AN RISK OV GAMBLIN. I WUD SOMETIMEZ BET ON SPORTIN EVENTS WIF FRENZ, OR PULAY GAME OV BRIDGE, BUT I THOUGH IT WUZ UNDR CONTROL. I NEVR ONCE CONSIDERD DAT DIS WUZ PROBLEMATIC 4 ME. YET MAH JOURNEY ON TEH PATH 2 SELF DESTRUCSHUN BEGAN WHEN TEH CASINO OPEND. I BEGAN WIF BLACKJACK, AN DEN WHEN TEH ACSHUN WUZ NOT FAST ENOUGH, I WENT 2 CRAPS, DEN 2 TEH HIGH STAKEZ GAME OV POKR. AFTR 2 YEERS I WUZ IN SUCH FINANSHUL RUIN DAT I HAD 2 TELL MAH WIFE AN SHE LEEVED ME 4 ANOTHR KITTEH. I PROMISD MYSELF DAT I WUD QUIT, BUT TEH NEXT DAI I WUZ RITE BAK AT TEH CARD TABLE. I HIT RAWK BOTTOM IN DA BAK ROOM OV PUB, LOSIN MAH LAST MOUSE 2 SMOKIN MONKEY. I WUZ LEFT WIF NOTHIN—NO MOUSES, NO HOME, NO WIFE, NO PPLZ. IT WUZ DEN DAT I KNEW I HAD 2 ASK 4 HALP.

The image may also be a first in the "various animals playing games of chance" genre of painting:



2 comments:

Doug said...

Why does this illustration make me feel like I'm reading Lewis Carroll? Also, this might be a discoloration, but it looks like opium monkey might possibly be hiding a card in the lower left corner there. Stop cheating opium monkey!

Sarah Redmond said...

This is rather Lewis Carroll looking!

And I wouldn't put it past opium monkey to cheat Sir Purrz-A-Lot out of his last mouse. When that guy starts chasing the dragon he looses all sense of right and wrong.

I'm also terrifically disturbed by the monkey waitress. She's giving Sir Purrz-A-Lot the ol' eye.