The Comforts of High Living
December 16, 1794
Medium
Hand-colored etching
Dimensions
Plate: 6 1/8 × 8 7/8 in. (15.5 × 22.5 cm) Sheet: 6 15/16 × 9 9/16 in. (17.7 × 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, 1959
Accession Number
59.533.489
Tags
Art Historical Context
Thomas Rowlandson's *The Comforts of High*, published by S. W. Fores on December 16, 4, is a quintessential example of late 18th-century British. Rendered as a hand-colored etching—a popular medium for affordable, visually punchy caricatures—this print measures about 7 by 9 inches on its sheet. Rowlandson, a master caricaturist known for lively, exaggerated style influenced by the Georgian era's social commentary tradition, captures the excesses of upper-class life with witty irreverence. The scene unfolds in a lavish bedroom, poking fun at the "comforts" of high society through tangled bedsh...
About the Artist
Thomas Rowlandson|S. W. Fores · 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...