Misery
December 20, 1794
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 6 5/16 × 8 11/16 in. (16 × 22 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
59.533.135
Tags
Art Historical Context
Thomas Rowlandson, a prolific British caricaturist of the late 18th century, created *Misery* in 1794, a hand-colored etching published by S.W. Fores. Measuring just over 6 by 8 inches, this compact print exemplifies the era's booming market for satirical broadsheets, which were affordable and widely circulated in London taverns and shops. Rowlandson's loose, expressive line work in etching allowed for dynamic, humorous exaggerations, capturing human folly with wicked precision. The artwork skewers male misery and fear through caricature, likely poking fun at everyday anxieties or social pret...
About the Artist
Thomas Rowlandson|S. W. Fores · 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...