Harry Beaufort; or, The Child of Nature, page 157

An older boy sits in a chair in a luxurious room watching several fish swim in a large, ornate fish bowl. Behind him, a woman stands before a window while engrossed in reading a book. The older boy chooses not to read, like the woman in the background. Instead, he observes a common domestic object, the fishbowl, which collects and displays animals. The comparison between the two is remarkable because each of them seems best placed in the room to perform the other's preferred activity. The caption reads, “—and sat for some time quietly observing,” page 157.