"The Entertaining History of Little Jack" [School piece or Penmanship sheet]
November 10, 1806
!["The Entertaining History of Little Jack" [School piece or Penmanship sheet] by John Bewick|Thomas Day|Laurie & Whittle](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/met/dp/thumb/the-entertaining-history-of-little-jack-school-888337.webp)
Medium
Etching and engraving; late impression
Dimensions
Plate: 17 1/8 × 13 1/4 in. (43.5 × 33.7 cm) Sheet: 17 13/16 × 13 3/4 in. (45.3 × 34.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1964
Accession Number
64.501.21
Art Historical Context
"The Entertaining History of Little Jack" is a charming early nineteenth-century print that blends storytelling with practical education. Created on November 10, 1806, as an etching and engraving, this work draws from Thomas Day’s popular children’s tale of the same name. Its dual classification as both an illustrated story sheet and a penmanship exercise reveals how printed images once served as teaching tools in classrooms and homes. John Bewick’s lively illustrations, published by Laurie & Whittle, brought moral lessons to life for young readers, while the spacious layout invited students ...
About the Artist
John Bewick|Thomas Day|Laurie & Whittle (British|British|British) · 1760 |1748 |1794 –1795 |1789 |1836
British, Eltringham, Northumberland baptised 1760–1795 Ovingham, Northumberland|British, London 1748–1789 Berkshire|British, active 1794–1836