The Consultation, or Last Hope
June 30, 1808
Medium
Hand-colored etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 11 1/16 × 14 11/16 in. (28.1 × 37.3 cm) Plate: 10 3/16 × 13 15/16 in. (25.8 × 35.4 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
59.533.1099
Tags
Art Historical Context
**The Consultation, or Last Hope** is a lively hand-colored etching created in 1808 by George Murgatroyd Woodward, who designed the composition, and Thomas Rowlandson the renowned British caricaturist who etched colored it. Measuring about 11 by 14 inches, this exemplifies the satirical genre that flourished in Regency-era Britain, where artists like Rowlandson skewered follies through exaggerated, humorous scenes. Produced amid the Napoleonic Wars and a booming market for affordable caricature prints, it reflects the era's appetite for witty commentary on everyday absurdities. The title hint...