The Reply: A Complimentory [sic] Hieroglyphic Epistle from the Honorable Henry Laurens to Lord George Gordon
![The Reply: A Complimentory [sic] Hieroglyphic Epistle from the Honorable Henry Laurens to Lord George Gordon by Henry Laurens|Anonymous, British, 18th century](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/met/dp/thumb/the-reply-a-complimentory-sic-hieroglyphic-389059.webp)
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
plate: 12 3/8 x 8 3/4 in. (31.4 x 22.2 cm) sheet: 13 x 9 1/4 in. (33 x 23.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William H. Huntington, 1883
Accession Number
83.2.1073
Tags
Art Historical Context
This 1781 etching, titled *The Reply: A Complimentory Hieroglyphic Epistle from the Honorable Henry Laurens to Lord George Gordon*, captures the sharp wit of political satire during the American Revolution. Created by an anonymous British artist, the print depicts a symbolic “letter” from Henry Laurens—former president of the Continental Congress—to the controversial British politician Lord George Gordon. The use of hieroglyphs and pictorial puzzles was a popular 18th-century device for conveying layered political commentary without direct words, allowing viewers to decode the message through ...
About the Artist
Henry Laurens|Anonymous, British, 18th century (American|British) · 1724 |1700 –1792 |1800
American, Charleston, South Carolina 1724–1792 Charleston, South Carolina|