Extended Example of Search

An Extended Example of a Search

Sources for header illustrations:

Gillray, James. Mr and Mrs Bull Giving Bourneparte a Christmas Treat. December 1803.
- https://www.95th-rifles.co.uk/research/a-regency-christmas/.
———. Petit Souper, a La Parisienne; -or- a Family of sans-Culotts Refreshing, after the Fatigues of the Day. 1792.
- http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1477490&partId=1.
Heath, William. Farmer Giles’s Establishment Christmas Day 1800. 1830.
- http://collection.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects/co65303/farmer-giless-establishment-christmas-day-1800-print-etching.

Ch1/6: The Steps behind the Search for Information regarding a Specific Illustration

When the header illustration for the web page Austen & Food was to be created, some illustrations were required. A search for ‘food in the regency period’ was carried out. The term ‘georgian’ was on purpose left out as it often causes a great number of unwanted hits. This is because ‘georgian’ can also refer to a nation and a Caucasian ethnic group native to Georgia, an area roughly between Russia and Turkey.

I found and selected the following three illustrations:

I deemed the first two illustrations suitable due to their link with France as I know I will be writing about the ‘French connection’, and I also chose the last one as I felt it was ‘closer to home’, i.e. Jane Austen’s home, as her family supported their income with the sale of produce from the nearby Cheesedown Farm, leased by Rev. George Austen, as well as from farming his own glebe land.[i]

[i] Austen-Leigh, Austen-Leigh, and Le Faye, Jane Austen, 22;
Tomalin, Jane Austen: A Life, 5.

Having chosen these three illustrations, I saved them and made a header based on them in Powerpoint.

However, I also needed to record their sources and record information about them in Zotero.

The first and last prints caused no problems; they were straight forward, whereas the middle one proved not to contain any useful details.

When visiting its site, I arrived at https://manueldelia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/humor-2014-0143_figure1.jpg and no ‘surrounding’ pages revealed any information except ‘477x385, humor-2014-0143_figure1.jpg’, so this became my only clue.

---> Search for ‘477x385, humor-2014-0143_figure1.jpg’.

This results in the display of the print, and when clicking this print, we are told that the print is 477 x 385 (cm) and that it has to do with the artist ‘James Gillray’ and a possible title is: 'Petit souper, a la Parisienne; -or- a family of'
(Information stops here; see screenshot)

We now have more information.

---> Click button ‘Visit’.

---> To see this result, one must log into REX (The Royal Library), which means that if you do not have access your search might stop here.

However, we continue to the page which turns out to be a link to the International Journal of Humor Research.

Below the illustration, we read: ‘Figure 1: James Gillray, Petit souper, a la Parisienne; -or- a family of sans-culotts refreshing, after the fatigues of the day, 20 September 1792, hand colored etching, 250×352mm. British Museum, London. © Trustees of the British Museum’.

I notice that the size of the print has altered.

We now have something very tangible to include in our search string. One could go directly to the British Museum and continue the search there, but personally I find that searching directly in a museum website can be tricky and not always user-friendly, so it is often easier to make a google search and be transferred directly to the required end website.

---> Search for ‘ James Gillray, Petit souper, a la Parisienne; -or- a family of sans-culotts refreshing, after the fatigues of the day, 20 September 1792, hand colored etching, 250×352mm. British Museum, London. © Trustees of the British Museum’ proved unsuccessful.

The search criterion needs to be altered.

---> Search for ‘James Gillray, family of sans-culotts refreshing, after the fatigues of the day, 20 September 1792, hand colored etching, 250×352mm. British Museum, London. © Trustees of the British Museum’ proved unsuccessful.

The search criterion needs to be altered.

---> Search for ’ Gillray, family of sans-culotts refreshing, after the fatigues of the day, 20 September 1792, hand colored etching, 250×352mm. British Museum, London. © Trustees of the British Museum’

---> The desire print turns out to be at the British Museum.

---> Click button ‘Visit’

---> Webpage ‘Collection online’ (The British Museum) opens.

Details are now available and ready to be entered into Zotero.

The search is finished; the goal has been achieved.