Hounds in Full Cry
published April 8, 1800
Medium
Hand-colored etching on paper
Dimensions
Image: 24.7 × 34.5 cm (9 3/4 × 13 5/8 in.); Plate: 25 × 35 cm (9 7/8 × 13 13/16 in.); Sheet: 29 × 40 cm (11 7/16 × 15 3/4 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
61534
Art Historical Context
James Gillray's *Hounds in Full Cry published on April 8, 1800, is a vibrant hand-colored etching on paper, measuring approximately 25 × 35 cm at the plate mark. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department, this work exemplifies the artist's mastery of caricature during the turbulent Napoleonic era in Britain. Gillray, called the father of the political cartoon, used sharp wit and exaggerated imagery to skewer the powerful, blending humor with incisive social commentary. The title evokes the chaos and excitement of a fox hunt, a quintessential British pastime that ...