Agreeable Companions in a Post Chaise
June 5, 1790
Medium
Etching and aquatint
Dimensions
Sheet: 7 11/16 × 11 7/8 in. (19.5 × 30.2 cm) Plate: 6 13/16 × 10 7/8 in. (17.3 × 27.6 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
59.533.304
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created by the celebrated British caricaturist Thomas Rowlandson and published by William Holland on June 5, 1790, *Agreeable Companions in a Post Chaise captures a lighthearted moment travel in Georgian England. The print depicts two gentlemen sharing the close quarters of a post chaise, a popular hired carriage of the period, suggesting an amusing tale of companionship on the road. Rowlandson’s lively line work and the tonal richness of aquatint bring warmth and humor to the scene, techniques that made his social satires widely popular among collectors. As an etching and aquatint print, the work exemplifies the vibrant print culture of late-eighteenth-century London, where affordable images circulated witty observations on everyday life. Today in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection, this modest sheet offers a delightful window into the pleasures and minor discomforts of travel two centuries ago.
About the Artist
Thomas Rowlandson|William Holland · 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...