Thomas Rowlandson (1757 London – 1827 London) was an English artist and caricaturist of the Georgian Era, noted for his political satire and social observation. A prolific artist and printmaker, Rowlandson produced both individual social and political satires, as well as large number of illustrations for novels, humorous books, and topographical works. Like other caricaturists of his age such as James Gillray, his caricatures are often robust or bawdy. Rowlandson also produced highly explicit erotica for a private clientele; this was never published publicly at the time and is now only found in a small number of collections. His caricatures included those of people in power such as the Duchess of Devonshire, William Pitt the Younger and Napoleon Bonaparte.
For more information about Thomas Rowlandson see part 1. For earlier works see parts 1 - 13 also.
This is part 14 of a 19-part series on the works of Thomas Rowlandson:
1813 The Tour of Doctor Syntax In Search of the Picturesque.
William Combe’s The Tour of Doctor Syntax in search of the picturesque was begun in 1809 and published in book form in 1812. Together with the accompanying aquatints by Thomas Rowlandson that inspired the poem, it satirises the aesthetic ideals lying behind the picturesque and its frequently pompous followers. The poem tells how Dr Syntax, a curate, sets off in search of the ideal picturesque landscape only to be continually thwarted by bathetic and farcical inconveniences. During the course of the poem the unfortunate Dr Syntax stumbles into a lake while attempting to reach the perfect location from which to sketch a suitably ruined castle, is chased by a bull and driven to distraction by the incessant bleating of sheep.
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| The Tour of Doctor Syntax In Search of the Picturesque. A Poem hand-coloured aquatint 20.5 x 12.5 cm (sheet) |
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| Frontispiece The Revd. Doctor Syntax hand-coloured etching |
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| Plate 1. Doctor Syntax setting out for The Lakes. hand-colored etching and aquatint 12.5 x 19.5 cm (sheet) |
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| Plate 2. Doctor Syntax losing his way hand-coloured etching and aquatint 12.8 x 19.5 cm (sheet) |
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| Plate 3. Doctor Syntax Stopt by Highwaymen hand-coloured etching 12.5 x 19.7 cm (sheet) |
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| Plate 4. Doctor Syntax Bound to a Tree by Highwaymen hand-coloured etching 12.5 x 19 cm (sheet) |
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| Study for Plate 4. Doctor Syntax Bound to a Tree by Highwaymen watercolour 21.3 x 27 cm (sheet) Yale Centre for British Art, New Haven, CT |
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| Plate 5. Doctor Syntax Disputing his Bill with the Landlady hand-coloured etching 12.7 x 18.6 cm (sheet) |
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| Plate 6. Doctor Syntax Copying the Wit of the Window hand-coloured etching 12.5 x 18.8 cm (sheet) |
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| Study for Plate 6. Doctor Syntax Copying the Wit of the Window watercolour 13.7 x 20.8 cm (sheet) Yale Centre for British Art, New Haven, CT |
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| Plate 7. Doctor Syntax Entertained at College hand-coloured etching 12.5 x 19 cm (sheet) |
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| Study for Plate 7. Doctor Syntax Entertained at College pen and brown ink with brush and watercolour on ivory laid paper 6.5 x 10.6 cm Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| Plate 8. Doctor Syntax Pursued by a Bull hand-coloured etching 11.6 x 18.5 cm (sheet) |
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| Plate 9. Doctor Syntax Mistakes a Gentleman's House for an Inn hand-coloured etching 12.6 x 19.2 cm (sheet) |
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| Plate 10. Doctor Syntax Meditating on the Tomb-stones hand-coloured etching 12.5 x 19 cm (sheet) |
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| Plate 11. Doctor Syntax Tumbling into the Water hand-coloured etching 12.7 x 18.7 cm (sheet) |
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| Plate 12. Doctor Syntax Loses his Money at the Race-ground at York hand-coloured etching12.8 x 19.5 cm (sheet) |
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| Plate 13. Doctor Syntax Robb'd of his Property hand-coloured etching 12 x 18.5 cm (sheet) |
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| Plate 14. Doctor Syntax with My Lord hand-coloured etching 12.7 x 18.6 cm (sheet) |
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| Plate 15 Doctor Syntax Made Free of the Cellar hand-coloured etching 11.8 x 18.5 cm (sheet) |
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| Plate 16. Doctor Syntax Sketching the Lake hand-coloured etching 11.8 x 18.9 cm (sheet) |
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| Study for Plate 16. Doctor Syntax Sketching the Lake watercolour with pen and red-brown ink over graphite 13.7 x 18.6 cm (sheet) Yale Centre for British Art, New Haven, CT |
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| Plate 17. Doctor Syntax Sketching after Nature hand-coloured etching 12.5 18.2 cm (sheet) |
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| Study for Plate 17. Doctor Syntax Sketching after Nature watercolour on paper 10.2 x 18 cm (sheet) Victoria & Albert Museum, London |
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| Plate 18. Doctor Syntax at a Review hand-coloured etching 12.5 x 19.7 cm (sheet) |
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| Plate 19. Doctor Syntax Sells Grizzle hand-coloured etching 12.7 x 18.8 cm (sheet) |
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| Plate 20. Doctor Syntax. Rural Sports hand-coloured etching 12.6 x 19.4 cm (sheet) |
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| Study for Plate 20. Doctor Syntax. Rural Sports pen and brown ink with brush and watercolour, on ivory wove paper 6.4 x 10.3 cm Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| Plate 21. Doctor Syntax & Dairy Maid hand-coloured etching 12.5 x 19 cm (sheet) |
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| Plate 22. Dr. Syntax at Liverpool hand-coloured etching 12.5 x 18.8 cm (sheet) |
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| Plate 23. Doctor Syntax Reading his Tour hand-coloured etching 11.8 x 19.4 cm (sheet) |
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| Plate 24. Syntax Preaching hand-coloured etching 11.8 x 18.8 cm (sheet) |
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| Plate 25. Dr. Syntax & Bookseller hand-coloured etching 11.6 x 18.6 cm (sheet) |
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| Plate 26. Doctor Syntax at Covent Garden Theatre hand-coloured etching 11.2 x 17.8 cm (sheet) |
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| Plate 27. The Doctor's Dream hand-coloured etching 12 x 18.3 cm (sheet) |
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| Plate 28. Dr. Syntax Returned from his Tour hand-coloured etching 11.7 x 19 cm (sheet) |
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| Plate 29. Doctor Syntax Taking possession of his Living hand-coloured etching 12 x 18.3 cm (sheet) |
Other Dr. Syntax etchings and originals:
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| Doctor Syntax at Liverpool hand-coloured etching and acquaint on ivory wove paper 10.5 x 19 cm (image) Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| Doctor Syntax Meditating on the Tomb Stones hand-coloured etching and acquaint on ivory wove paper |
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| Doctor Syntax Meditating on the Tomb Stones watercolour study 11.3 x 18.9 cm (sheet) Yale Centre for British Art, New Haven, CT |
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| Doctor Syntax on the Road pen and grey ink with brush and grey wash and watercolour over traces of graphite on tan wove paper 15.7 x 22.8 cm Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| Doctor Syntax painting a Portrait pen and watercolour over graphite 11 x 19.7 cm Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA |
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| Dr. Syntax and the Bees hand-coloured etching and aquatint 19.5 x 13.5 cm (image) |
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| Study for Dr. Syntax and the Bees pen and ink and watercolour over graphite 12.6 x 19.6 cm Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA |
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| Dr. Syntax and the Jolly Landlady pen and wash over graphite 17.5 x 15.1 cm (sheet) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA |
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| Dr. Syntax and the Skimmington Riders hand-coloured etching/aquatint |
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| Dr. Syntax at a Book Auction hand-coloured aquatint 12.1 x 20.5 (sheet) |
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| Study for Dr. Syntax at a Book Auction pen and brown and grey ink with brush and watercolour, on tan wove paper 12.2 x 20.9 cm Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| Dr. Syntax at a Card Party etching/aquatint size not found |
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| Dr. Syntax in Search of the Picturesque pen and ink and watercolour on paper 21 x 13,5 cm (sheet) Victoria & Albert Museum, London |
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| Dr. Syntax in Search of the Picturesque watercolour on paper 14.3 x 23.5 cm (sheet) Victoria & Albert Museum, London |
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| Dr. Syntax made Free of the Cellar hand-coloured etching and aquatint 11.2 x 19 cm (image) National Gallery of Victoria, Australia |
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| Study for Dr. Syntax made Free of the Cellar pen and brown ink with brush and watercolour, over graphite, on ivory wove paper 6.8 x 10.8 cm Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| Dr. Syntax with a Balky Horse before an Inn pen and ink with watercolour 14.6 x 23.2 cm (sheet) Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| The Doctor’s Punishment Put in Execution to the Small Entertainment of the Whole Village pen and brown and grey ink with brush, and watercolour with graphite, on tan wove paper 13.7 x 21 cm Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
