The Damnation of Obadiah (Tristram Shandy)
Medium
Hand-colored etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 5 1/8 × 7 3/8 in. (13 × 18.7 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
59.533.1746
Tags
Art Historical Context
This hand-colored etching, titled *The Damnation of Obadiah*, captures a lively satirical moment from Laurence Sterne’s celebrated 18th-century novel *Tristram Shandy*. Created around 1803 and by Rudolph Ackermann in London, the print draws on the book’s playful humor and chaotic storytelling. It likely depicts the novel’s memorable scene involving the character Obadiah and his misadventures, complete with the men and dogs noted in its tags, turning Sterne’s literary comedy into a visual jest. Thomas Rowlandson, a leading caricaturist of the Georgian era, brought his signature wit and fluid l...
About the Artist
Thomas Rowlandson|Rudolph Ackermann, London|Laurence Sterne|Henry William Bunbury · 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...