Sitting Up With A Sick Friend by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge

The canvas work of the renowned illustrator Cassius Marcellus Coolidge skillfully combines situational humor and social caricature of the Victorian era. This witty piece, entitled “Sitting Up With A Sick Friend”, highlights the subterfuge of playing husbands discovered by their wives. The visual narrative is built around this savory confrontation, which bears witness to the comic inventiveness of its creator.

A masculine and clandestine gaming meeting is surprised by the unexpected arrival of two canine wives, visibly furious and armed with umbrellas. In the center, a Saint Bernard with a sheepish and guilty look stares at the viewer, while a collie to his right tries to hide his hand behind a reading book he holds awkwardly. On the left, the two canine intruders, adorned with elaborate hats and elegant coats, brandish their umbrellas to interrupt the game, while a playing card has fallen prominently to the floor in the foreground. The background shows a plush interior with a mantel clock and a painting hanging on the dark red wall.

Coolidge’s meticulous work is revealed in the characterization of contrasting expressions, opposing the anger of the wives to the guilt of the players. The artist demonstrates great talent in treating the fabrics of the hats and the drapery of the characters’ clothes.