Publisher's Synopsis
A completely new illustrated volume which presents 72 watercolours, drawings, prints, and illustrated books to reassess the legacy of this renowned 18th-century satirist, Thomas Rowlandson: Pleasures and Pursuits in Georgian England reflects the growing emphasis on the social and political context of the satirical art of the eighteenth and early nineteenth century. In so doing, it rescues Rowlandson from what co-author Vic Gatrell calls the immense condescension of posterity." This catalogue explores Rowlandson's unique perspective on Georgian society,on leisure and social life, and the crossing of class boundaries.
An introduction by curator Patricia Phagan describes Rowlandson's position within a hierarchical society. Illustrated essays by Vic Gatrell and Amelia Rauser examine Rowlandson's view of social life and leisure in London and his political satires.The images are drawn from the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College as well as from the Metropolitan Museum of Art,Yale Center for British Art, Lewis Walpole Library, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, and Vassar College Libraries, Archives and Special Collections.