A Couple of Antiques or my Aunt and my Uncle
November 20, 1807
Medium
Hand-colored etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 11 1/8 × 15 7/8 in. (28.3 × 40.3 cm) Plate: 10 9/16 × 14 5/8 in. (26.8 × 37.1 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
59.533.1005
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created in 1807 by the celebrated British caricaturist Thomas Rowlandson and published by Rudolph Ackermann in London, *A Couple of Antiques or my Aunt and my Uncle* is a hand-colored etching that captures the playful spirit of Regency-era social satire. The scene depicts an elderly couple in a cozy domestic interior, accompanied by their dogs gently mocking the quirks of aging through Rowlandson’s characteristically exaggerated features and lively line work. The alternative title suggests a personal, affectionate humor, as if the artist is affectionately teasing his own relatives. Rowlandson...
About the Artist
Thomas Rowlandson|Rudolph Ackermann, London · 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...