Female Politicians
1815 (copy after)
Medium
Hand-colored etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 9 1/2 × 13 1/4 in. (24.1 × 33.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund and Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, by Exchange, 1970
Accession Number
1970.541.3
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
This hand-colored etching titled *Female Politicians*, created in 1815 as a copy after an original by the renowned British caricaturist Thomas Rowlandson, offers a witty glimpse into early nineteenth-century social commentary. Published by William McCleary, the print employs the popular medium of etching—where artists incise designs into metal plates for mass reproduction—enhanced with vibrant hand-applied colors to heighten its satirical edge. Rowlandson, celebrated for his lively and exaggerated style within the Georgian era’s caricature tradition, frequently lampooned contemporary manners and politics. The work depicts women engaged in reading and political discussion, reflecting the period’s debates over female education and public roles amid the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars. Such imagery served as both entertainment and subtle critique, highlighting anxieties about shifting gender norms in Regency Britain. Today, this print from the Metropolitan Museum’s collection reminds viewers how visual satire shaped public discourse, using humor to explore timeless questions of power and participation.
About the Artist
William McCleary|Thomas Rowlandson (British|Irish) · 1757 |1799 –1827 |1820
British, London 1757–1827 London|Irish (active Dublin), 1799–1820