A Mistake at New Market, or Sport and Piety

Art Historical Context

**A Mistake at New, or Sport and P** (1807) is a hand-colored etching by British satirists George Murgatroyd and Thomas Rowlandson, by Thomas Tegg. 10¼ × 13¾ inches, this lively print captures the cheeky spirit of Regency-era caricature, blending humor with social commentary. Newmarket, England's premier horse-racing hub, serves as the backdrop for a comical "mistake," juxtaposing rowdy "sport" with mock "piety," likely skewering the era's hypocrisies among the upper classes. Rowlandson, a master of aquatint and etching known for his exaggerated, bawdy scenes of human folly, teams here with Woodward's whimsical designs. The hand-coloring—applied by skilled artisans—adds vibrant washes of red, blue, and yellow, heightening the chaos involving men, women, and dogs in a tangle of mishap. Such techniques made affordable satirical prints hugely popular, disseminating wit to a broad audience via publishers like Tegg. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Elisha Whittelsey Collection, this work exemplifies early 19th-century British print culture's role in lampooning societal norms, offering visitors a window into the playful yet pointed critique of leisure and morality. (198 words)