Mrs. Clarke's Farewell To Her Audience. Tailpiece
April 1, 1809
Medium
Hand-colored etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 9 3/4 × 13 7/16 in. (24.8 × 34.1 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
59.533.1326
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of Regency-era satire, Thomas Rowlandson's *Mrs. Clarke's Farewell To Her Audience. Tailpiece* (April 1, 1809) captures a moment of scandalous drama through a hand-colored etching, a medium Rowlandson mastered for its lively hues and sharp wit. Published by Thomas Tegg, this 9 3/4 × 13 7/16-inch print serves as a cheeky "tailpiece"—a concluding image in a series—depicting Mary Anne Clarke, the notorious mistress of the Duke of York, dramatically bidding adieu to her public amid uproar. The artwork springs from the explosive 1809 Clarke Affair, where Clarke was accused of ...
About the Artist
Thomas Rowlandson|Thomas Tegg · 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...