Terrour or Fright (Le Brun Travested, or Caricatures of the Passions)

Art Historical Context

Step into the whimsical world of early 19th-century British satire with *Terrour or FrightLe Brun Travested, Caricatures of theions)*, an etching published on January 21, 1800, by Ackermann in London.atively crafted by caricaturists Thomas Rowlandson and Georgeurgatroyd Woodward, print playfully distorts the serious facial studies of French artist Charles Le Brun from the 17th century Le Brun's influential series on human passions, used to teach artists about emotional expression, is here "travested"—exaggerated into comic grotesquery, capturing a man's face contorted in sheer terror. Printed in evocative brown ink on a modest sheet measuring 11 3/16 x 9 inches, the etching showcases Rowlandson's signature style: bold lines, humorous distortions, and vivid character studies that poked fun at human folly. As part of Ackermann's renowned Repository of Arts publications, it reflects the Georgian era's booming market for affordable satirical prints, which entertained the growing middle class amid political upheavals like the Napoleonic Wars. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, 1959), this piece highlights caricature's cultural role in democratizing art—turning highbrow theory into accessible laughs while exploring universal emotions like fear. A delightful glimpse into how Brits lampooned even the classics!