Diary of John Quincy Adams, volume 1
1783-11-08
Went with Mr. West1 to see the Queen's Palace called Buckingham House; from its having been built by Villiers: Duke of Buckingham;2 in the first Chamber, are the famous Cartoons of Raphael; which were Painted on Paper to be taken on Tapestry; at Brussels; there are 7. of them; they represented several of the Acts of the apostles; the name of the Painter makes it unnecessary to say, in what manner they are executed. In another Room we saw a Number of Paintings of Vandyk, among which was a Picture of Charles the 1st. on horseback; a striking likeness and an admirable Picture. Another Room full of Pictures of Rubens —a Room decorated by Paintings of Mr. West: among which are, the death of General Wolfe, of the Chevalier Bayard; and of Epaminondas, Regulus coming out of the Senate, and Hannibal, swearing eternal enmity to the Romans.3 The Kings Library, in 202which there are 90. folio volumes of Maps. His private model chamber—this is very curious. There are the models of all the ships in the Kings service, of all the dock yards, and fortifications: and an exact model of the fortress of Gibraltar. These are the Principal curiosities in this House; tho' there are a great many other things in it, worth seeing. Dined at Mr. Roger's.4
Benjamin West, the leading American-born neoclassical painter.
Buckingham House was built by John Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham and of Normanby, not
George Villiers, Second Duke of Buckingham. It was subsequently sold to George III in 1762
(Compton Mackenzie, The Queen's House, London, 1953, p.
10–12).
The West paintings, commissioned by George III, are listed in John Galt, The Life of Benjamin West, London, 1816–1820, repr., Gainesville,
Fla., 1960, p. 207.
Adams Family Correspondence
, 4:348; Samuel Cooper to JA, 22 July 1782, Adams Papers).
1783-11-09
Dined at Dr. Jebbs.1
The Eighteenth-Century Commonwealthman ...,
Cambridge, 1959, p. 370–372; JA to John Stockdale, 31 Jan. 1784,
LbC, Adams Papers).
1783-11-10
Went to the Covent Garden Theatre. King Henry VIII. and the Lord Mayor's day, or a flight to Lapland; with the Grand Procession. Lord Mayor's day.1
The day of the lord mayor of London's inauguration, held usually every 9 Nov., is marked
with a pageant known as the Lord Mayor's Show. JQA saw Lord Mayor's Day; or, A Flight from Lapland, a speaking pantomime, originally
produced in 1782, representing this show, with songs and dialogue added by John O'Keeffe.
The “Grand Procession” was the afterpiece, advertised as “an Historical Procession of the
Several Companies with their respective Pageants” (
Biographia Dramatica
; Hogan, ed., London Stage,
1660–1800
).
1783-11-11
This day the Parliament met for the first Time; the Prince of Wales1 took his seat in the House of Peers, as duke of Cornwall, the King also made his most gracious speech from the Throne: All the Peers were in their Robes which are scarlet and white; the Kings, and the Prince of Wales's were of purple velvet.