All the world's in Paris

Joseph Grimaldi (1778-1837) was the London born son of an Italian ballet master who became a very successful clown. He is shown here in costume in a pantomime called 'Harlequin Whittington'.

Grimaldi, playing an English tourist in Paris, points to the Arc de Triomphe behind him wearing a skull-cap decorated with little rosettes, a frogged and braided overcoat (with deep fur cuffs and collar; scarlet slippers and clocked stockings) and, in his other hand, he holds an absurdly tall top-hat.

The chorus to the song from which the print takes its title was:

London now is out of Town
Who in England Tarries?
Who can bear to linger there,
When all the world's in Paris?

The pantomime was first played at Covent Garden on 26 December 1814, the chief feature was the ascent of a balloon from which a child descended by parachute.