Chelsea Hospital, from "Ackermann's Repository"
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Hamill and Barker
Accession Number
1961-105-306
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Thomas Rowlandson’s 1810 print *Chelsea Hospital* captures the stately London home for retired British soldiers, originally designed by Christopher Wren in the late seventeenth century. Published in Rudolph Ackermann’s *Repository Arts*, a popular monthly magazine that brought hand-colored views of notable buildings to a growing middle-class audience, the work reflects the early nineteenth-century fascination with topography and national heritage. Rowlandson, celebrated for his witty caricatures and fluid draftsmanship, here tempers his usual humor with a measured architectural view, presentin...