Rowlandson, Thomas

Rowlandson, Thomas (rō`ləndsən), 1756–1827, English caricaturist, b. London. He studied at the Royal Academy and in Paris, but his passion for gambling prevented him from producing much until c.1782, when he was obliged to earn a living. As a humorous caricaturist and critical commentator of the social scene, Rowlandson quickly gained celebrity. His drawing Vauxhall Gardens (1784) was a great success, as was his series of drawings The Comforts of Bath that was reproduced in 1789. This was followed by the famous Tour of Dr. Syntax (series in 3 vol., 1812–21), Dance of Death (1814–16), and Dance of Life (1822)—all with text by William Combe. Rowlandson also illustrated Smollett, Goldsmith, Sterne, and Swift. Most of his drawings were first done in ink with a reed pen and given a delicate wash of color. The fluidity of his line is likened to the French rococo, but the spirited humor of his work, sometimes almost coarse, is in the English style. His work is represented in the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum.

Bibliography

See studies by R. Paulson (1972) and J. Hayes (1972).

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Rowlandson, Thomas

(born July 1756, London, Eng.—died April 22, 1827, London) British caricaturist. The son of a merchant, he studied at the Royal Academy and in Paris. After establishing a portrait studio, he began to draw caricatures to supplement his income, and found such success with them that caricature became his major occupation. The comic images he created lampooned familiar social types of his day—the antiquarian, the blowsy barmaid, the hack writer. He also illustrated editions of the novels of Tobias Smollett, Oliver Goldsmith, and Laurence Sterne.

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Rowlandson, Thomas 

Born July 4, 1756, in London; died there Apr. 22, 1827. English artist and caricaturist.

Rowlandson was trained at the Royal Academy in London and in a drawing school in Paris, where from 1772 to 1775 he also attended the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture. A master of mass scenes, he produced engravings and pen-and-ink drawings with watercolor washes. His drawings, permeated with the spirited, biting humor typical of the caricature, ridiculed the mores of the gentry and the bourgeoisie (the series The Microcosm Of London, 1808). Rowlandson also illustrated the works of Goldsmith, Smollett, and Sterne.

REFERENCES

Nekrasova, E. Ocherki po istorii angliiskoi karikatury kontsa XVIII i nachala XIX vekov. Leningrad, 1935.
Paulson, R. Rowlandson: A New Interpretation. London, 1972.