Nursing the Spawn of a Tyrant
Medium
Hand-colored etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 13 3/4 × 9 13/16 in. (35 × 24.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959
Accession Number
59.533.1997
Tags
Art Historical Context
This hand-colored etching, published on April 14, 1811, offers a sharp example of British political caricature during the Napoleonic Wars. Created shortly after the birth of Napoleon’s son, the future Napoléon II, the print depicts Empress Marie Louise nursing the imperial heir. The provocative title frames the child as the “spawn of a tyrant,” reflecting widespread British hostility toward the French emperor and his expanding dynasty. The work draws on the talents of caricaturists such as Thomas Rowlandson and publisher Thomas Tegg, who specialized in affordable satirical prints. These etchi...
About the Artist
Napoléon II, King of Rome and Duke of Reichstadt|Napoléon Bonaparte|Thomas Tegg|Empress Marie Louise of France|Thomas Rowlandson (French|British|French|British) · 1811 |1757 |1769 |1764 –1832 |1827 |1821 |1834
French, Paris 1811–1832 Vienna|British, London 1757–1827 London|French, Ajaccio 1769–1821 St. Helena|British, active 1794–1829