The Scotch Ostrich Seeking Cover
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 9 15/16 × 13 11/16 in. (25.2 × 34.7 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
59.533.926
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
This witty etching, created by the celebrated caricaturist Thomas Rowlandson on July 8, 1805, lampoons Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, a powerful Scottish politician and naval administrator. Titled *The Scotch Ostrich Seeking Cover*, the print uses the ostrich’s famous habit of hiding its head as a metaphor for Dundas evading scrutiny amid growing accusations of financial mismanagement. Rowlandson’s sharp satire captures the tense political climate of early 19th-century Britain, when public figures faced increasing press and parliamentary oversight. As an etching, the work exemplifies the medium’s role in Georgian-era political commentary. Etchings allowed artists to produce affordable, widely circulated images that reached a broad audience beyond elite circles. Rowlandson’s fluid line work and exaggerated features heighten the humor while delivering pointed criticism, making complex political events accessible and memorable. Today, this print in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection offers modern viewers a lively window into how art once shaped public opinion on power and accountability.
About the Artist
Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville|Thomas Rowlandson (British|British) · 1757 |1742 –1827 |1811
British, London 1757–1827 London|British, Edinburgh, 1742–1811