Tom Paine's Nightly Pest
December 10, 1792
Medium
Etching and aquatint
Dimensions
plate: 11 9/16 x 14 3/8 in. (29.4 x 36.5 cm) sheet: 14 1/8 x 18 7/8 in. (35.9 x 47.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William H. Huntington, 1883
Accession Number
83.2.985
Art Historical Context
"Tom Paine's Nightly Pest" is biting satirical print created by the renowned British caricaturist James Gillray, published by Hannah Humphrey on December 10, 1792. Produced through etching and aquatint technique that combines precise line work with tonal shading for vivid, dramatic effects—this hand-colored print measures about 11½ by 14⅜ inches on the plate. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum Art's Drawings and Prints, it exemplifies the explosive political satire of the era, gifted to the museum in 1883 by William H. Huntington. The artwork targets Thomas Paine, the radical author of *Rights...