The Fifth Clause, or the Effect of Example
April 23, 1805
Medium
Hand-colored etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 9 in. × 12 13/16 in. (22.8 × 32.5 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
59.533.918
Tags
Art Historical Context
Thomas Rowlandson's *The Fifth Clause, or the Effect of Example* (1805) is a vibrant hand-colored etching that captures the sharp wit of Georgian-era British satire. Created during a turbulent period of the Napole Wars, when political tensions ran high under Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger, Rowlandson skewers contemporary figures and events with his signature exaggerated style. As a leading caricaturist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Rowlandson produced thousands of prints mocking politicians, social hypocrisies, and blunders, making complex issues accessible and entertaini...
About the Artist
Thomas Rowlandson · 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...