In Thomas Rowlandson’s 1792 watercolour The Elopement a schoolgirl lowers herself down from the first floor on to her lover’s shoulders, while his servant puts her trunk in the waiting post-chaise.
human interest
George Morland: The Laetitia series
George Morland’s (1763-1804) Laetitia series shows the trajectory of an elopement – from romantic aspiration and seduction through to abandonment and regret
The Elopement (John Collet)
John Collett’s Modern Love was a variation on Hogarth’s more famous Marriage a-la-mode: courtship, elopement, honeymoon and finally the unhappy marriage.
Grandmamma’s Elopement
1878: Nostalgic double page spread from The Graphic tells the story of “Grandmamma’s Elopement”. The Regency was seen as the golden age of runaway love.
John Fane and Sarah Anne Child
1782: John Fane and Sarah Anne Child married at Gretna Green. Her fabulously wealthy banker father cut her off without a penny.
Eliza Stables and Anthony Deane
1819: Eliza Stables and Anthony Deane ran off to Gretna Green but the marriage was opposed by his mother.