ROWLANDSON, Thomas; WOODWARD, George Moutard

Caricatures Anglaises [cover title]

London: Ackermann & Fores, 1790. Item #06236

A Wonderful Rowlandson, Woodward & Nixon Album
Containing Twenty-Five Superb Hand Colored Etched Plates

ROWLANDSON, Thomas. [WOODWARD, George Moutard]. [NIXON, John]. Caricatures Anglaises
[cover title]. London: 1790-1814.

Folio (18 x 12 7/8 inches; 457 x 327 mm.). A splendid collection of twelve large hand-colored etched plates, and twelve narrow oblong hand colored sheets on four leaves, all plates mounted on stubs.

Bound ca. 1820 in quarter olive green straight-grain morocco over marbled boards, front cover with rectangular dark brown morocco label bordered and lettered in gilt. Spine with five raised bands, ruled and lettered in gilt in compartments, marbled endpapers.

Provenance: Sold at Swann Auction Galleries, New York, March 4th, 1948, lot 342.

The Plates:

1. ROWLANDSON. "Airing a Shift" Hand-colored stipple engraving. Inscribed in the plate: "Rowlandson-del / London Published Willm Holland, No 50 Oxford Street, May 1st 1790" (12 9/16 x 9 11/16 inches; 320 x 246 mm.).

A bare-breasted young woman is drying her clothes in front of a fire. A corset lies on the floor together with other articles of clothing and a dog sits, looking-up at the woman. In the background stands a dressing table with a mirror and a candlestick on it.

"Airing a Shift" by Thomas Rowlandson, published by William Holland on May 1st, 1790, is a notable example of Rowlandson's early hand-colored stipple engravings, likely etched by the artist himself or under his direction during his collaboration with Holland, a prominent satirical publisher of the era.


2. ROWLANDSON after WOODWARD. "Quarrelsome Lovers" Hand-colored etched plate. Inscribed in the plate: "T. Rowlandson / Pubd. Jan. 2, 1797 by Hooper & Wigstead / Printed for Hooper & Wigstead no. 212 High Holborn" (10 11/16 x 7 7/8 inches; 272 x 201 mm.).

This print typically shows two grotesquely exaggerated figures in mid-argument—a frequent theme in Woodward’s designs—etched with Rowlandson’s fluid and expressive line, and vividly hand-colored in the publisher’s shop.

3. ROWLANDSON after John NIXON. "Madame Very Restauranteur, Palais Royal Paris." [and] "La Belle Liminaudiere au Caffee De Mille Collone, Palais Royale Paris" Hand-colored etched plate. The top image signed "Rowlandson fecit / JN. 1814" and the lower image signed "JN. 1814" (15 7/8 x 10 7/8 inches; 404 x 270 mm.)

Two images on one sheet. At top, a woman with her hair piled high sits at a table with a mirror behind her. In front of her are trays filled with cards, fruit, a plant, and a reading lamp. Below, a fashionably dressed woman sits at an ornately decorated chair and table, studying a pamphlet inscribed "Paris" at top. Three men ogle at her from a table below at left.

This pair of hand-colored etched scenes attributed to Thomas Rowlandson after John Nixon, titled: "Madame Very Restauranteur, Palais Royal Paris" [&] "La Belle Liminaudiere au Caffee De Mille Collone, Palais Royale Paris"
and both dated 1814, are part of a small and somewhat scarce series of satirical or picturesque French scenes created during or shortly after the British occupation of Paris following Napoleon’s first abdication. The dual authorship—John Nixon as draughtsman and Rowlandson as etcher—lends these works additional importance within the genre of travel satire and Franco-British caricature.

4. ROWLANDSON. "She Stoops to Conquer" Hand-colored etched plate. Signed "Rowlandson Del" / Pubd. [March 10,] 1811 by Thos. Tegg No. 111 Cheapside Price one Shilling" (10 ½ x 14 5/8 inches; 261 x 372 mm.).

A pretty young woman sits closely to a prison guard, putting her hand on his face, while a handsome youth is behind bars at right. A portly man approaches them with a frothing glass.

"She Stoops to Conquer", etched by Thomas Rowlandson and published by Thomas Tegg on March 10, 1811, is a hand-colored caricature illustration of Oliver Goldsmith’s celebrated 1773 comedy. Issued as a standalone print, this work belongs to Tegg’s broader output of theatrical and literary satire published between 1809–1815, often marketed as "Tegg’s Caricatures" and priced at one shilling each.

5. ROWLANDSON. "Peace and Plenty" Hand-colored etched plate. Inscribed in the plate: "324 / Pubd May 8th 1914 bt Thos Tegg No 111 Cheapside / Rowlandson Scul." (13 3/4 x 9 1/2 inches; 350 x 243 mm.).

A coastal defense scene where the soldiers have time to relax and enjoy the company of a young woman as the prospect of peace draws ever nearer following Napoleon's defeat. Plenty is represented with the ample stocks of ammunition and weaponry. The woman stands laughing as a soldier stands behind her, his hand fondling her right breast. Other soldiers stand by, talking, as a drummer lies asleep on his drum, his hand draped over a pile of cannon balls. In the distance can be seen another fortification on the coastline with a flag flying.

This image likely depicts a jubilant allegory of peace returning to Britain at the end of the Peninsular War and Napoleon’s exile to Elba. Tegg and Rowlandson issued several such satirical plates celebrating this event, often personifying Peace, Plenty, Britannia, or military figures relaxing with symbols of agriculture, trade, or domestic leisure. It belongs to the Tegg catalogue of caricatures (sold at “one shilling”), often with serial numbers engraved—“324” in this case.

6. ROWLANDSON. "Miseries of London / Entering upon any of the bridges of London, or any of the passages leading to the Thames…" Hand-colored etched plate. Inscribed in the plate: "Rowlandson 1807 Designd. & Pubd. July 14 1807 by T. Rowlandson No 1 James St. Adelphi" (14 ½ x 10 5/8 inches; 370 x 270 mm.).

A comic riverside scene at Wapping: a stout woman laden with baskets and bottles struggles down the stairs, buffeted by wind and five bawling watermen competing for her fare. Thames wherries lie at the water’s edge; one is punted by a young boatman. Behind, a timber-framed building bears the sign Wapping Old Stairs, from which a man and girl look on amused. A sleeping fisher-boy rests in a dinghy at lower right. In the background, anchored ships, a flag-flying church, and a timber warehouse with a hanging barrel complete the lively Thames setting.

"Miseries of London / Entering upon any of the bridges of London…" by Thomas Rowlandson, dated July 14, 1807, and published by the artist himself from No. 1 James Street, Adelphi, is a hand-colored etching from his celebrated “Miseries of Human Life” series. This particular print is notable for being both designed and published by Rowlandson—a less common occurrence outside his collaborations with Ackermann or Tegg.

7. ROWLANDSON. "The Gig Shop or Kicking Up a Breeze at Nell Hammiltons Hop." Hand-colored etched plate. Inscribed in the plate: "Pubd. Febry. 16, 1811 by Thos Tegg No 111 Cheapside Price one Shilling / Rowlandson. Del."
(10 1/8 x 14 5/8 inches; 257 x 370 mm.).

Joseph Grego, Rowlandson's early cataloguer, describes this impromptu boxing print in "a place of 'fast' resort, [where] dancing has given way to much rougher diversions...[with] the place appropriated for the dance... given up to a "mill" conducted on strikingly professional principles. One of the combatants has "peeled" in recognized style, and his opponent has stripped to his shirt; the backers and seconders of the fisticuffing bucks... are members of the fair sex...
A ring of delighted spectators are enjoying the fight and the fun from the benches, while other gentlemen are prudently engaged in restraining their fair partners from getting mixed up in the squabble." The term gig in the title refers to something that whirls–dancers and boxers–and "mill" is slang for bare-knuckle boxing. Nell Hammilton may be Elizabeth, Duchess of Hamilton, wife of the 8th Duke, who had promoted boxing. The couple's marriage was notorious for its many affairs and a country dance of the period was named "Hamilton House" because it involved so many changes of partner.

"The Gig Shop, or Kicking Up a Breeze at Nell Hamilton’s Hop", etched and drawn by Thomas Rowlandson, and published by Thomas Tegg on February 16, 1811, is a prime example of Rowlandson’s comic depiction of London’s lower-class nightlife, issued during the height of his collaboration with Tegg.

8. ROWLANDSON after Henry WIGSTEAD. "St. James's. [and] St. Giles's." Hand-colored etched plate with pale blue wash border. Inscribed in the plate: "H. Wigstead Invt. / Publish'd by T. Rowlandson, Strand. Jany. 1792. [changed to a 4] / By S W Fores No 3 Piccadilly" (10 5/8 x 7 3/8 inches; 270 x 181 mm.).

Above are two fashionably dressed courtesans (three-quarter length) seated facing each other; one (right) holds a punch-bowl, the other, who looks at the spectator with a leer, holds a glass. Below, two burly women, prostitutes of the lowest type, stand together, full face, one (left) with her arm across the shoulders of the other. Cf. BMSats 6764, 6765.

This pair of prints titled "St. James's" and "St. Giles's", designed by Henry Wigstead, etched by Thomas Rowlandson, and published by S.W. Fores in 1792 (corrected to 1794), constitute a well-known satirical contrast of London social extremes—the fashionable West End (St. James's) and the impoverished slums (St. Giles's). These two caricatures were issued on a single plate and are prized for their social commentary, excellent draftsmanship, and early collaboration between Wigstead, Rowlandson, and Fores.

9. ROWLANDSON. "A Little Bigger." Hand-colored etched plate with pale gray wash border. Inscribed in the plate:
"Rowlandson. 1791 / Pubd. May 18th. 1791 by S.W. Fores No. 3 Piccadilly" (15 ¼ x 12 5/8 inches; 388 x 321 mm.).

A small tailor tries to encircle the waist of a huge man with a measuring tape. His patterns are on the floor at left. Gray wash mount painted around the central image. A hand-colored print of a tailor struggling to measure the ample girth of his client during a fitting. Both look pained. Companion print to RCIN 810415.

10. ROWLANDSON. "A Little Tighter." Hand-colored etched plate with pale gray wash border. Inscribed in the plate:
"Rowlandson. 1791 / Published by S.W. Fores No. 3 Piccadilly May 18th. 1791" (15 1/8 x 12 1/2 inches; 385 x 317 mm.).

A tailor is struggling to fasten the corset of a large woman who stands with her back to the viewer. The dressmaker's tricorn hat has fallen off during the struggle and lies on the ground at the bottom right. Companion print to RCIN 810416

This pair of prints mocks two ungainly characters struggling into new clothes. In each, the main figure dwarfs a hapless tailor who strains to fit the garments. These prints were to prove popular and were copied in a French print of 1796.

This pair of prints “A Little Bigger” and “A Little Tighter” by Thomas Rowlandson, both published May 18, 1791 by S.W. Fores, represent an excellent and highly desirable example of early Georgian caricature in matched companion format. These large-format hand-colored etchings, printed with gray wash borders, are comic satires on vanity and fashion, showing grotesque exaggerations of tailor fittings or corset cinching—typical themes in Rowlandson’s satire of the period.

11. ROWLANDSON after WOODWARD. "[Grotesque Borders for Screens, Rooms and Halls]" Three hand colored etched strips: (first lines) 1. "As Dolly one Morning…" 2. Come back - Ma'am…" 3. "What is Life…" each measuring 4 1/4 x 19 1/2 inches; 108 x 495 mm.).

12. ROWLANDSON after WOODWARD. "[Grotesque Borders for Screens, Rooms and Halls]" Three hand colored etched strips: (first lines) 1. "The most wonderful…" 2. "Dont be alarmed!…" 3. "There goes my hat…" each measuring 4 1/4 x 19 1/2 inches; 108 x 495 mm.).

13. ROWLANDSON after WOODWARD. "[Grotesque Borders for Screens, Rooms and Halls]" Three hand colored etched strips: (first lines) 1. "A Lilliputian Exhibition" 2. "Now my lads is the time to make your fortunes!" 3. "Hot spice Gingerbread…" each measuring 4 1/4 x 19 1/2 inches; 108 x 495 mm.).

14. ROWLANDSON after WOODWARD. "[Grotesque Borders for Screens, Rooms and Halls]" Three hand colored etched strips: (first lines) 1. "I am going to purchase some…" 2. "Quite delightful" 3. "By Jupiter - my Vifes Down!" each measuring 4 1/4 x 19 1/2 inches; 108 x 495 mm.).

These twelve strips (on four sheets) are all excerpted from Grotesque Borders for Rooms and Halls, etched by Rowlandson after Woodward, and published by Ackermann in 1799 in a set of 24 plates, each containing three strips. These Caricature strips with brown wash borders contain figures, "mostly with enlarged heads were designed by Woodward, and etched by Rowlandson, for Ackermann. The strips were apparently intended to be cut apart and used as border designs on walls or screens." (Gordon BC-33).
According to OCLC Yale University (CT;US) are the only ones to have any of the prints. They have seven of the strips - nos. 12, 14, 17, 18 (x2), 19 (x2), 21 (x2) & 22. A complete set would consist of twenty-four plates – each with three strips.

These etched strips were designed by George Moutard Woodward and etched by Thomas Rowlandson, most likely issued between 1800 and 1805. They were intended to be pasted onto fire screens, room cornices, folding panels, or furniture, a fashionable and humorous form of decorative comic interior art during the Regency period.

Subjects range from courtship mishaps, fashion follies, and street scenes, to the theatrical or grotesque.
Each strip carries a continuous comic sequence, sometimes accompanied by dialogue or captions.
Few survive; the prints were ephemeral and often actually used as decoration (i.e., pasted down and destroyed).

15. ROWLANDSON after WOODWARD. “Lieutenant Bowling pleading the cause of Roderick Random to his Grandfather.” Hand-colored etching and aquatint with gray wash border. [London, May 12, 1800]. Aquatinted by Joseph Stadler. (9 3/4 x 12 7/8 inches; 248 x 328 mm.). "Six aquatints after Woodward, Singleton and Collings , of which four are engraved by Rowlandson, and two by Stadler for the Hogarthian Novelist, dated 12 May 1800 (BC-77).
See Abbey Life, no 249. Grego, ii, p. 6. (Gordon BC-41).

“Lieutenant Bowling Pleading the Cause of Roderick Random to His Grandfather”, designed by George Moutard Woodward, etched by Thomas Rowlandson, and aquatinted by Joseph Stadler, is a highly collectible hand-colored literary illustration from ca. 1800, based on Tobias Smollett’s 1748 picaresque novel The Adventures of Roderick Random.

16. ROWLANDSON. "Reconciliation, or the Return from Scotland." Hand-colored etched plate with gray wash border. Inscribed in the plate: "Rowlandson fect / Pubd Novr 22 1792 by S.W. Fores No. 3 Piccadilly" (10 7/8 x 14 5/8 inches; 275 x 372 mm.).

This print depicts a newly-wed couple returning to the husband's house following their marriage at Gretna Green in Scotland. A servant offers a chair to the weeping young mistress whilst the father is seated by the fireside with his arms open. His wife stands with a startled expression. Servants stand in the doorway with delight at the couple's return. This print may refer to the Prince of Wales's secret marriage to Mrs Fitzherbert in December 1785.

“Reconciliation, or the Return from Scotland”, etched by Thomas Rowlandson and published by S.W. Fores on November 22, 1792, is a superb example of Rowlandson’s early narrative social satire, issued during a prolific period of collaboration with Fores. The subject—likely referencing elopement and romantic reconciliation—is presented in Rowlandson’s characteristic manner: fluid line, expressive figures, and richly hand-colored composition.

Price: $12,500.00