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An Artist Travelling in Wales

After Thomas Rowlandson British
Etcher Henri Merke Swiss
Publisher Rudolph Ackermann, London British
February 10, 1799
Not on view
The protracted Anglo-French conflict between 1792 and 1815 prevented British artists from exploring the Continent. Instead, many sought vistas at home, encouraged by William Gilpin’s influential book Observations relative chiefly to Picturesque Beauty (1786). Rowlandson’s image parodies a strenuous tour made through Wales in August 1797 with the caricaturist Henry Wigstead. A published account describes constant fog and rain, rough roads, poor lodgings, spartan food and wild country folk. In this image, a tall, thin, figure–possibly intended for Wigstead–balances on a small pony. Man and beast are laden with artistic paraphernalia, all inadequately shielded from the downpour. A rustic family watches in amazement; for them the artist presents a much more interesting spectacle than the scenery.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: An Artist Travelling in Wales
  • Artist: After Thomas Rowlandson (British, London 1757–1827 London)
  • Etcher: Henri Merke (Swiss, Niederweningen, canton Zürich ca. 1760–after 1820)
  • Publisher: Rudolph Ackermann, London (British, active 1794–1832)
  • Date: February 10, 1799
  • Medium: Etching and aquatint with hand coloring
  • Dimensions: sheet: 13 3/16 x 15 1/2 in. (33.5 x 39.4 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959
  • Object Number: 59.533.654
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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Migrants, Thomas Rowlandson British, Watercolor
Migrants
Thomas Rowlandson
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Going to Ivy Bridge, Thomas Rowlandson British, Watercolor
Going to Ivy Bridge
Thomas Rowlandson
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The Sailor's Return from Active Service, Thomas Rowlandson British, Watercolor
The Sailor's Return from Active Service
Thomas Rowlandson
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Departure of Blanchard and Jeffries' Balloon from Dover, January 7, 1785, Thomas Rowlandson British, Hand-colored etching
Departure of Blanchard and Jeffries' Balloon from Dover, January 7, 1785
Multiple artists/makers
January 1794
Ships and Sailors, Thomas Rowlandson British, Watercolor
Ships and Sailors
Thomas Rowlandson
late 18th–early 19th century

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