Stealing the Preserves
1815/20
Medium
Pen and red and black ink, with brush and watercolor, over traces of graphite, on ivory wove paper tipped onto cream wove paper
Dimensions
27.5 × 22 cm (10 7/8 × 8 11/16 in.)
Classification
watercolor
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
114726
Art Historical Context
Thomas Rowlandson’s *Stealing the Preserves* (c. 1815–20) captures the cheeky humor of Regency-era Britain in a delightful watercolor. This British satirist, renowned for his caricatures poking fun at social follies, depicts a lighthearted scene of domestic mischief—likely a sneaky raid on the pantry—rendered with his signature exaggerated figures and witty details. Rowlandson, active during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, was master of the caricature tradition, blending sharp social commentary with playful exaggeration in works sold as affordable prints and drawings. Executed in pen ...
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...