A Sketch from Nature
January 24, 1784
Medium
Hand-colored etching and stipple, printed in brown ink
Dimensions
Sheet: 12 1/8 in. × 16 in. (30.8 × 40.6 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
59.533.36(a)
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created in 1784 by Thomas Rowlandson in collaboration with engravers William Paulet Carey and John Raphael Smith, *A Sketch from Nature* captures a lively social scene of men and women gathered around drinks. This hand-colored etching and stipple print, rendered in warm brown ink, reflects the vibrant printmaking culture of Georgian Britain. Rowlandson, celebrated for his witty caricatures and genre scenes, often highlighted the everyday pleasures and follies of society through expressive lines and lively compositions. The medium itself was significant in the late eighteenth century, as etchi...
About the Artist
Thomas Rowlandson|William Paulet Carey|John Raphael Smith · 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...