A fair, with a crowd gathered in a square by the Red Lion Inn, with actors on a balcony, and a recruiting officer and drummer beside a stall

John Laguerre was the son of the history painter Louis Laguerre and was regarded by the contemporary diarist, George Vertue, as a gifted artist. He was also a successful singer and actor, performing at Covent Garden and Lincoln's Inn Fields. It is difficult to locate the scene with any precision; fairs in the London suburbs included Chiswick, Bartholomew, Camberwell, Peckham and Mitcham. Soldiers of the second regiment of Foot Guards, shown lower left, were commonly stationed in the capital.