Disturbers of Domestic Happiness
ca. 1815
Medium
Hand-colored etching
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 9 7/16 × 13 3/8 in. (24 × 33.9 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
59.533.1613
Tags
Art Historical Context
Thomas Rowlandson's *Disturbers of Domestic* (ca. 1815) is a delightfully cheeky hand-colored etching that captures the chaos of family life through satire. In this trimmed sheet measuring 9 7/16 × 13 3/8 inches, mischievous children gleefully the slumber of weary adultslikely parents or household members—highlighting the comedic tensions of domestic bliss in Regency-era Britain. Rowlandson, a master caricaturist, uses exaggerated features and dynamic poses to poke fun at everyday scenes, drawing from the British tradition of satirical prints popularized by publishers like Rudolph Ackermann. ...
About the Artist
Thomas Rowlandson · 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...