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Black and white engraving with a green and gold border, of a young man speaking to a woman. To right of centre are two women in cloaks reading a Bible. Titled 'The Holy Fair', with four lines of the poem below. In wooden frame.
'The Holy Fair' was written by Burns in 1785 describing the annual sacrament held by surrounding parishes in Mauchline. This consisted of preaching and prayer meetings lasting several days prior to communion.
On his way to the twice-yearly holy fair in Mauchline, Robert is depicted walking arm-in-arm with ‘Fun’ (dressed in white), leaving ‘Superstition’ and ‘Hypocrisy’ (cloaked in black and gripping a prayer book) to go their own miserable way. The engraving by J. Rodgers is a typical example of an 18th. Century scene from one of Burns' poems. This scene shows that the Fair by Burns' time had deteriorated into a curious mixture of solemnity and carnival.
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