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Theodore Lane (1800-1828)
Joining the London caricature scene at its height, Lane worked with such notables as Pierce Egan, furnishing him with the illustrations for Life of an Actor, Peregrine Proteus. Prolific caricature publisher George Humphrey published more than forty of his caricatures of Princess Caroline and other public figures before his career tragically ended when he fell through a skylight to his death.
None currently available.
Peter Pasquin
Peter Pasquin. "Flowers from Nature." London: Thos. McLean, 1824. 7 5/8 x 10. Soft-ground etching. Hand color. Very minor spots in top margin; otherwise, very good condition.
With six flowers, Pasquin suggests caricatures of six types in British society. The red-coated soldier is the poppy; at the opposite corner is a dandy labeled "pink." Other corners are occupied by a lovely belle ("heart's ease") and a quarrelsome wife ("everlasting"). No bond trader but a criminal holds the name "stocks," while the ultimate "enemy" in the middle is the devil. A light, clever set of visual puns. $125
Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827)
Trained at the Royal Academy Schools and in Paris, Thomas Rowlandson quickly earned a reputation as a caricature expert. His sharp eye, comic renderings, and delicate use of color soon established him as one of the important English artists of his period. In order to fund his expensive, convivial lifestyle, he produced numerous prints and series of prints, poking cleverly at British society and popular culture.
Thomas Rowlandson. "Directions to Footmen." London: ca. 1807. Etching. 11 5/8 x 9. Hand color. Very good condition.
Rowlandson often collaborated with satire writers to produce caricatures with narrative; here, his efforts combine with Gulliver's Travels author Jonathan Swift. Taking a passage from Swift's Directions to Servants, Rowlandson illustrates the "ideal" behavior for a footman waiting upon his mistress at dinner. Rowlandson's expressive, loose strokes appear here to full advantage, resulting in pure comedy in the faces and figures of each character. $550
Thomas Rowlandson. "Mrs. Clarks Levee. The Ambassador of Morocco on a Special Embassy." London: Thomas Tegg, 20 February 1809. Etching. 12 7/8 x 8 3/4. Tear at right edge, just into image. Light time-toning. Overall, very good condition.
Famed mistress of Frederick, Duke of York, Mary Anne Clarke is remembered in history for allegedly accepting bribes to influence military promotions. When it was discovered that the Duke was actually promoting officers who had paid Mrs. Clarke, he was charged with corruption. He was eventually cleared, however, and Mrs. Clarke continued to live well at the government's expense, exacting a tidy sum for the repression of her tell-all memoir. $350
A delightful print from one of the famous ‘tours of Dr. Syntax.’ These tours chronicle the various escapades of the fictional 19th-century English clergyman, Dr. Syntax. The animated drawing and wonderful facial expressions make them excellent examples of Rowlandson’s parodic work from the great age of English caricature. $65
Go to page with full list of Dr. Syntax prints
A wonderful group of prints produced as a sequel to Rowlandson's famous Tours of Dr. Syntax. Public reaction to Dr. Syntax's adventures was so positive that the artist introduced a series on the bumbling doctor's foundling, Johnny QuæGenus. Similar in content and feel to the Syntax prints, this series features Rowlandson's animated faces and fully realized settings, making them excellent documents of early nineteenth century material culture as well as fine examples of British caricature. $65 each
This darkly delightful series of aquatints after drawings by Rowlandson are among his rarest and most wonderful images. Death, represented as a skeleton, appears as part of the lives of every sort of person: high society and low, old and young, educated and ignorant. Though each image is quite humorous, there is a sober, underlying reminder of death's inevitability. $125 each
George Moulard Woodward (1760-1809)
An amateur caricaturist produced political cartoons in London between 1794 and 1800, including some in a strip format that was of his own devising. He lived a rather dissolute life and died in a tavern.
George Woodward. "Public House Politicians!!" London: 2 January 1807. Etching. Hand color. "135" in upper right corner. Excellent condition.
In a timeless setting, men in a pub hold forth about politics, each certain that, were he in charge, "things would be very differently managed." Each character has a clever bit of dialogue inserted over his head, and period details abound. A fine print from an artist often overlooked in the canon of British caricature. $650
George Woodward. "Admonition and Gratitude." London: Tho. Tegg, 1803-1824. 9 x 12 1/2. Etching. Hand color. "142" in upper right corner. Excellent condition.
Working alongside Rowlandson in Thomas Tegg's bookselling and publishing house, Woodward employed a style not unlike his colleague's. Here, loose, free lines produce humorous characters whose very carriage invites joking. Holding forth a law textbook, the owlish lawyer peers through his spectacles at a ragamuffin criminal, offering him no hope. The criminal, whose large, oafish hands clumsily grasp a hat at his side, can only mumble gratitude for the lawyer's help. Whether Woodward means to poke more fun at the law or the lawbreaker is unclear; however, strong visual humor makes this print an excellent example of the golden age of British caricature. $375
George Woodward. "Savoyards of Fashion -- or, the Musical Mania of 1799." London: S.W. Fores, 24 April 1799. Etching. Hand color. 11 1/2 x 15 5/8. With some areas of loss, expertly repaired; image still strong.
In any age, women of leisure find fashionable hobbies to pursue. In 1799, George Woodward found these ladies taking up music, which they practice here with dubious success. Woodward displays his fine eye for fashion and detail, portraying costumes and postures with precision and humor. $275
Unattributed
"Good Advice." London: M. Darly, February 1778. 12 1/4 x 9. Etching with some stipple work. Hand colored. Light mat burn at edges; very light spotting in bottom margin; otherwise, fine condition.
Published by Matthew Darly, whose shop was a center for amateur prints, especially caricatures. In this image, female fashion is taken to an extreme. Four women chat on a large, patterned carpet. The shapes of their skirts and their massive hairstyles are clearly the object of the artist's joke. $325
Tap-Room Politicians. London: Laurie & Whittle, 13 July 1795. 7 1/2 x 9. Etching. Hand color. Very minor tear in bottom margin; slight wear at corners. Narrow bottom margin. Else, very good condition. George 8773.
In a time-honored fashion, artisans and workers gather here for political discussion over pints. As one reads from a paper labeled “The Times,” others crowd around a table littered with beer, snuff, pipes, and pipe tongs. Near the back of the crowd, a barber stands with a comb in his hair; near the front, a tailor leans toward the newspaper, grasping his shears. With fine detail and agreeable scene, this gentle, unattributed caricature means only to chuckle at the nearly universal conviction every man could do a better job in office himself than the elected politicians. $350
Ansell. "Political Quadrille - the Game Up. Plate 2d." London: Walker, August 1808. Etching. Original hand color. 12 1/8 x 14 5/8. Minor wear at edges; expertly repaired tear through upper right corner. Else, very good condition. George 11015.
In this skillful caricature, the artist arranges eight European nations in a farcical card game (Quadrille, a four-handed version of the popular Ombre). As George III looks on from the edge, Alexander (marked by the bear on his seat-back) re-evaluates the alliance he formed with Napoleon at Tilsit (July 1807). His ally is thrashed by an angry Spanish patriot, who demands the return of his king, Ferdinand VII, who had been ousted when Napoleon installed his brother Joseph on the Spanish throne (June 1808). Meanwhile, Prussian King Frederick William III (in blue coat), still smarting from defeats suffered from France in 1806, determines to take advantage of the fray, as does Austrian Emperor Francis II (in white coat), who had recently been dethroned as Holy Roman Emperor by Napoleon's formation of the Confederation of the Rhine (July 1806). At the right edge of the scene, Pope Pius VII remains soundly dominated by Napoleon, whose boot rests on the upturned symbol of the Catholic church. Indeed, a few years after this caricature, Napoleon would arrest the Holy Father for excommunicating the "despoilers of the church" (May-July 1809). The final member of Napoleon's table, a squat Dutchman with a pipe moves to leave the game, removing himself from the struggle. Though Napoleon imposed his brother Louis as ruler of Holland, the little nation was not entirely ungrateful - the alternative was complete annexation by France, and their new French king actually managed some beneficial public works projects during his reign. This savvy Dutchman decides it in his best interest, then, to avoid the fracas altogether. All in all, masterful satirical interpretation of Europe's tangled political situation. *Note: Broadley credits this to an artist named only as "Ansell." George identifies no artist. $1,450
"Imperial Botany _ or a Peep at Josephine's collection of English Exoticks. Vide the Champion Jany 30, 1814." London: W.N.Jones, 1 March 1814. 7 5/8 x 20 3/8. With borders, but trimmed within platemarks. Etching. Vivid and attractive hand color. Folds as issued, scarcely visible on image. Otherwise very good condition.
After her divorce from Napoleon Bonaparte, Josephine retained her garden at Malmaison. In this caricature she is depicted as a stout woman showing her plants to the Marchioness of Hertford, who had been separated from the Prince Regent. She points to the Prince's image within a sunflower as the two women discuss gardening in terms alluding to their former lovers. The conceit of the caricature is apt: in reality, these two women had exchanged plants, seeds, and gardening advice during the Napoleonic was, and Josephine had even received acorns from the great English oaks so that timbers could be acquired for the future French navy. Throughout this very complex composition are people, plants, and images that allude to current events. A complete description from Dorothy George's Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires will be provided upon request. $1,200
"A Lecture on Heads, as Delivered by Marshalls Wellington &Blucher." London: S. Knight Sweeings Alley Cornhill, 1815. 7 x 11 3/8. Etching. Bright hand color. Fine impression. George, 12557.
The allies' victory at Waterloo was on 18 June 1815, and news reached London on 20 June. Reading the bloody scene from right to left, the viewer sees Napoleon Bonaparte running up a hill with the devil flying above him. French troops are slaughtered as they flee through the field, where Wellington brandishes a French eagle as he runs his sword through a French soldier. Behind Wellington, Prussian Field Marshall Blucher holds a severed head on his sword and charges past the Russian czar, who stands frozen in fear crying "Stop, I am coming." This hasty caricature expresses the exhilaration that must have swept through England at news of the great military victory. $600
"A Pleasant Draught for Louis or the way to get rid of a Troublesome fellow." No credits. Etched "363" in upper right hand corner. 11 1/4 x 8 1/4 . On wove paper. Etching. Strong, bright hand color. Very good condition.
Fat and gout-stricken, Louis XVIII is nonetheless ready to enjoy his triumph in this fine caricature. As the elder of Louis XVI's two surviving brothers, Louis XVIII was appointed king of France after the allies' first exile of Napoleon. As constitutional monarch, he reigned until 1824. Seen here bearing the star of St. Louis, he prepares to imbibe a reduced Napoleon. A fine, attractive print expressing smug satisfaction at the political situation in Europe in the style of the golden age of British caricature. $750
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