None But the Brave Deserve the Fair
Medium
Hand-colored etching; reprint
Dimensions
Plate: 13 3/4 × 9 13/16 in. (35 × 25 cm) Sheet: 15 7/8 × 10 3/4 in. (40.3 × 27.3 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
59.533.1752
Tags
Art Historical Context
Thomas Rowlandson’s 1813 hand-colored etching *None But the Brave Deserve the Fair* captures the lively spirit of early nineteenth-century British caricature. The title drawn from John Dryden’s 1697 poem, hints at themes of courtship and valor, which Rowlandson often explored through witty, exaggerated scenes of men and women navigating romance—frequently accompanied by horses that add both motion and social commentary. As a leading figure in Georgian satirical printmaking, Rowlandson used sharp observation and distortion to reflect contemporary manners and follies. The work exemplifies the h...
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...