A College Scene, or a Fruitless Attempt on the Purse of Old Square-toes
Medium
Hand-colored etching with stipple and softground
Dimensions
Sheet: 14 in. × 14 11/16 in. (35.5 × 37.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959
Accession Number
59.533.1636
Tags
Art Historical Context
This lively hand-colored etching from 178 captures a humorous moment of generational tension, likely depicting a college student’s failed attempt to persuade a stern older man—nicknamed “Old Square-to”—to open his purse. Created by Thomas Rowlandson, a leading British caricaturist of the Georgian era, the print reflects the period’s vibrant tradition of social satire, where artists poked fun at university life, family dynamics, and the foibles of the middle and upper classes. The work’s medium—etching enhanced with stipple and softground techniques—allowed for expressive line work and subtle ...
About the Artist
Thomas Rowlandson|John Raphael Smith|Edward Williams the Elder · 1756–1827
Thomas Rowlandson (1757–1827) was an English artist and caricaturist whose satirical watercolors and prints captured the social life of Georgian Britain with unparalleled wit and technical mastery. Alongside James Gillray, he is recognized as one of the greatest British graphic artists, and his distinctive flowing line and keen observations have made his work integral to understanding late 18th an...