By Authority. Persons and Property Protected
November 24, 1785
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 9 13/16 × 13 7/8 in. (25 × 35.3 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
59.533.109
Tags
Art Historical Context
Thomas Rowlandson’s etching “By Authority. Persons and Property Protected,” published on November 24, 1785, offers a witty glimpse into late-eighteenth-century British society. Rowlandson, celebrated for his lively caricatures, collaborated here with publisher S. W. Fores to create a print that pokes fun at authority and everyday street life. The scene, populated by men, women, horses, and carriages, reflects the bustling urban world of Georgian London, where satirical images circulated widely as both entertainment and social commentary. Etching was ideally suited to Rowlandson’s quick, expre...
About the Artist
Thomas Rowlandson|S. W. Fores · 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...