The Lousiad, Title Page
Medium
Letterpress
Dimensions
Sheet: 9 5/8 × 7 3/8 in. (24.5 × 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
59.533.232
Art Historical Context
Step into the witty world of 18th British satire with *The Lousiad, Page*, a 1787 letterpress print illustrator Thomas Rowlandson and publisher George Kearsley. just 9⅝ × 7⅜ inches, this modest sheet served as the grand entrance to *The Lousiad*, a mock-heroic poem that poked fun at high society through absurd humor. Rowlandson, a master of caricature known for his lively, exaggerated figures, brought his signature style to this title page, capturing the era's penchant for sharp social commentary. Printed via letterpress—a technique using inked raised type and intricate engravings pressed ont...
About the Artist
Thomas Rowlandson|George Kearsley · 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...