Grotesque Borders for Rooms & Screens, Extravaganzas Plate 5

Art Historical Context

This lively hand-colored etching from 1799, titled *Grotesque Borders for Rooms & Screens, Extravaganzas Plate 5*, captures the playful spirit of late Georgian satire. Created through a collaboration between caricaturist George Murgatroyd Woodward, the renowned Thomas Rowlandson, and publisher Rudolph Ackermann in London, the print was designed as a decorative border. Its exaggerated figures of men and women invite viewers to imagine it framing walls, screens, or furnishings in fashionable homes of the era. Hand-colored etchings like this one were immensely popular at the turn of the nineteenth century, offering affordable yet vibrant imagery that blended humor with social commentary. The work’s “grotesque” style—marked by whimsical distortions and lively scenes—reflects the period’s fascination with caricature as both entertainment and subtle critique of contemporary manners. Today housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection as part of the Elisha Whittelsey Fund, the print exemplifies how art crossed from the print shop into everyday domestic life, turning satire into charming interior decoration.

About the Artist

George Murgatroyd Woodward|Rudolph Ackermann, London|Thomas Rowlandson · 1765–1809

**George Murgatroyd Woodward (1765–1809)**, often known as George “Moutard” or “Mustard” Woodward, was an English caricaturist and humor writer whose energetic, sometimes crude drawings captured the social follies of late Georgian Britain. Born at Stanton Hall in Stanton by Dale, Derbyshire, as the son of William Woodward, he grew up in the county before moving to London around 1791–92. Woodward ...