The Fall of Dagon – Or Rare News for Leadenhall Street
Medium
Hand-colored etching
Dimensions
Sheet (trimmed within plate): 8 11/16 × 12 1/2 in. (22 × 31.8 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
59.533.1888
Tags
Art Historical Context
This hand-colored etching, created in January 1784, captures the lively world of British political satire during a turbulent period following the American Revolution. Titled *The Fall of Dagon – Or Rare News for Leadenhall Street*, the work references the story of the idol Dagon collapse, using it as a metaphor for political downfall. Leadenhall, home to the East India Company’s headquarters, at the print’s commentary on commerce, empire, and shifting power in Georgian London. The medium of hand-colored etching was ideally suited to this moment. Etchings allowed artists to produce sharp, expr...