Miseries of London, or a Surly Saucy Hackney Coachman
June 4, 1814
Medium
Hand-colored etching; reprint
Dimensions
Plate: 13 3/4 × 9 13/16 in. (35 × 25 cm) Sheet: 15 9/16 × 11 5/16 in. (39.5 × 28.8 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
59.533.1575
Tags
Art Historical Context
Thomas Rowlandson's *Miseries of London, a Surly Saucyney Coachman* (1814) captures the chaotic energy of Regency-era London through biting satire. Part of Rowlandson's popular series lampooning urban woes, this hand-colored etching depicts a grumpyney coachman—those notoriously rude cab drivers who ferried passengers through the city's muddy, crowded streets. Published on June 4, 1814, it pokes fun at everyday frustrations, highlighting tensions between working-class drivers and their often exasperated clients, including women navigating the perils of public transport. Rowlandson, a master o...
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...