St. James's and St. Giles's

Art Historical Context

"St. James's and St Giles's," a hand-colored etching published on December 1, 1791, by S.W. Fores with illustrations by Thomas Rowlandson and Wigstead, captures the social divides of late 18th-century London. Rowlandson, a master of caricature renowned for his, exaggerated depictions of British society, up here with Wigstead to contrast the elegant districts of St. James'shome to aristocracy and fashion—with the gritty slums of St. Giles, a notorious rookery of poverty near Seven Dials. The title alone evokes this juxtaposition, a staple theme in Georgian satire highlighting class disparities....