The Welsh Sailor's Mistake, or Tars in Conversation
June 30, 1808
Medium
Hand-colored etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 9 3/4 × 13 11/16 in. (24.7 × 34.8 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
59.533.1105
Tags
Art Historical Context
This lively hand-colored etching from 1808 captures the playful spirit of British caricature during the Napoleonic era Created through a collaboration between Thomas Rowlandson, renowned for his fluid line work and humorous social observations, and George Murgatroyd Woodward, the print depicts sailors—known as “tars”—engaged in animated conversation over drinks and pipes. The title hints at a comic misunderstanding involving a Welsh sailor, reflecting the era’s fascination with regional accents, naval life, and everyday blunders. Hand-colored etchings like this one were affordable and widely ...
About the Artist
Thomas Rowlandson|George Murgatroyd Woodward · 1756–1827
Thomas Rowlandson (1757–1827) was an English artist and caricaturist whose satirical watercolors and prints captured the social life of Georgian Britain with unparalleled wit and technical mastery. Alongside James Gillray, he is recognized as one of the greatest British graphic artists, and his distinctive flowing line and keen observations have made his work integral to understanding late 18th an...