Pumpkins Used as Dwellings to Be Secure against Wild Beasts
1769
Imagine needing to hide from a tiger, so you just climb into a giant squash! This whimsical 1769 engraving by Filippo Morghen depicts a surreal landscape where enormous pumpkins serve as cozy homes, complete with chimneys puffing smoke and laundry hanging from the branches. The title explains that these gourd-dwellings were used to stay safe from wild beasts—a hilarious solution involving floating your house in a tree or bobbing it in the water. It’s a charming glimpse into 18th-century travel illustrations, where factual observation often blended with pure, pumpkin-spiced imagination.
- Technique
- Engraving