THE VIEWS OF AN ASS IN WORTHING. Folio broadside [272 mm x 215 mm], trimmed to margins, and delicately finished in contemporary handcolor. A well-preserved copy. Charming example of this separately-issued satirical print, illustrating the burgeoning popularity of seaside resorts during the early 19th century and the popular pastime of donkey rides on the beach – considered by the artist as an absurdly easy life for the lucky equine. The British Museum catalogue (which contains a variant, uncolored issue) describes the scene thus: “A young woman sits a donkey which is in the sea, refusing to move; she flourishes her parasol. Holiday-makers stand on the sea-shore watching with amusement. In the background one lady is being thrown from her donkey, another is galloping. In the verses a she-ass relates to a mere beast of burden the delights of frolicking by the sea: “Fashion here tells young lasses to ride / On the best walk that ever was seen”. Worthing (West Sussex) lies just 10 miles west of Brighton, and transformed itself from a mackerel fishing village into a fully-fledged seaside resort during the late 18th century. Princess Amelia (daughter of George III) stayed in the town in 1798, perhaps cementing its reputation as a destination for the wealthy nobility during this period. As noted above, the British Museum copy is uncolored, and it seems to be a different issue, with a reference number in the upper left corner. We have located two copies in US libraries: the Yale copy is uncolored, the LC copy is colored. * cf M. Dorothy George, Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum VIII, no. 10947.