Slap-Bang Shop
Medium
Hand-colored etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 12 7/8 × 9 9/16 in. (32.7 × 24.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1956
Accession Number
56.567.11
Tags
Art Historical Context
Thomas Rowlandson's *Slap-Bang Shop* (1815) is a vibrant hand-colored etching that captures the boisterous energy of Regency-era London dining culture. Rowlandson, a master caricaturist active during the late 18th early 19th centuries was renowned for his satirical prints that poked fun at everyday social scenes. This work, measuring about 13 by 9.5 inches, exemplifies his collaboration with publisher Rudolph Ackermann, whose aquatint techniques allowed for the vivid hand-coloring that brings the chaotic restaurant interior to life—etching lines for sharp details, enhanced by washes of color f...
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...