Bilingsgate Market

London’s fish market was famous for its colorful characters, and the Microcosm, which was directed at a wealthy and aristocratic audience, spared no mockery of the noise and chaos found there. Near the foreground, one woman has fallen down drunk, and is unaware that a dog has snatched her fish. In the middle, a full-on brawl is underway, even as the slightly more genteel fellow at left decides which fish to take home for supper.