The Fortune Teller on Casting the Coffee Grounds, from an Original Design at Vaux-hall Gardens
1748–60
Medium
Etching and engraving
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Harry G. Friedman Bequest, 1967
Accession Number
67.539.72
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the lively world of 18th-century London with *The Fortune Teller on Casting Coffee Grounds*, an etching and engraving created between 1748 and 1760 by publisher Robert Sayer after an original design by artist Francisman. This charming print captures a whimsical scene at Vauxhall Gardens, London's famed pleasure garden, where visitors enjoyed music, fireworks, and amusements amid lush trees and gardens. A fortune teller interprets coffee grounds for an eager group of men and women, accompanied by a playful dog—evoking the era's fascination with mysticism and social spectacle. Etching...