Study for "A charm for democracy, reviewed, analyzed, and destroyed January 1, 1799" (recto and verso)
Medium
Recto: pen gray ink, brush and wash, over graphite Verso: graphite
Dimensions
sheet: 8 7/8 x 10 1/8 in. (22.5 x 25.7 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959
Accession Number
59.533.1812
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
This preparatory drawing by Thomas Rowlandson, a master of British satire, captures the chaotic spirit of late 18th-century political caricature. Titled *Study for "A charm democracy, reviewed, analyzed and destroyed January 1, 1799"* (recto and verso), dates to 1799, amid Britain's fervent anti-Jacobin fervor during the French Revolutionary Wars.son skewers prominent Whig reformers—figures like Charles Howard, 11th Duke of Norfolk Francis Russell, 5 Duke of Bedford; John Tooke; Dr. Samuel Parr;. Joseph Towers; and Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby—depicting them in a devilish ritual to summon democracy, only for it to unravel. The devilish tags underscore the era's paranoia about radicalism threatening the status quo. Executed on a modest 8 7/8 x 10 1/8-inch sheet, the recto features fluid graphite underdrawing enhanced by pen in gray ink, brush, and wash for dramatic shading and expressive lines, while the verso offers looser graphite sketches. This technique highlights Rowlandson's agile style, blending humor with sharp social critique in the tradition of Georgian caricature. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, this work reveals how art weaponized wit against political unrest, offering visitors a witty glimpse into the tensions between reform and reaction in revolutionary-era Britain.
About the Artist
Thomas Rowlandson|Charles Howard, 11th Duke of Norfolk|Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford|John Horne Tooke|Dr. Samuel Parr|Rev. Joseph Towers|Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby · 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...