The Chance Seller of the Exchequer Putting an Extinguisher on Lotteries
September 18, 1823
Medium
Hand-colored etching
Dimensions
Plate: 9 9/16 × 13 3/4 in. (24.3 × 34.9 cm) Sheet: 10 3/4 × 15 1/16 in. (27.3 × 38.3 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
59.533.1797
Tags
Art Historical Context
This hand-colored etching from September 1823 captures a lively moment of political satire through the work of caricaturist Thomas Rowlandson, published by John Fairburn. The scene depicts the symbolic extinguishing of state lotteries, with the “Chance Seller of the Exchequer” shown snuffing out a candle representing popular but controversial games of chance. Figures of men and women react with expressions ranging from dismay to amusement, highlighting the social stakes of the policy change. Created during a period when Britain’s government, under figures like Frederick John Robinson, sought ...
About the Artist
John Fairburn|Thomas Rowlandson|Frederick John Robinson (British|British) · 1789 |1757 –1840 |1827
British, active 1789–1840|British, London 1757–1827 London