Doctor Syntax at a Review, from The Tour of Doctor Syntax
c. 1812
Medium
Hand-colored etching and acquaint on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 11.8 × 19.7 cm (4 11/16 × 7 13/16 in.); Plate: 15.7 × 23.7 cm (6 3/16 × 9 3/8 in.); Sheet: 29.5 × 35.7 cm (11 5/8 × 14 1/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
133374
Art Historical Context
Thomas Rowlandson's *Doctor Syntax at a Review*, created around 1812, is a delightful hand-colored etching and aquatint from the beloved satirical series *The Tour of Doctor Syntax*. This popular work, illustrated by Rowlandson and accompanied by William Combe's comic verses, follows the misadventures of the hapless, bookish clergyman Dr. Syntax as he embarks on a tour in search of the "picturesque." Published during the Regency era amid the Napoleonic Wars, the series poked fun at British society, travel literature, and social pretensions through exaggerated caricatures. In this lively scene...
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...