Title Page: Le Brun Travested, or Caricatures of the Passions

Art Historical Context

Welcome to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, where we encounter *Title Page: Le Brunested, or Caric of the Passions*January 21, 1800). This etching, printed in warm brown ink on a modest sheet measuring 7 5/16 x 8 11/16 inches, was a collaborative effort by publisher Rudolph Ackermann of London, renowned caricaturist Thomas Rowland, and artist George Matroyd Woodward. As the title page for a satirical series, it playfully skewers the serious 17th-century theories of French painter Charles Le Brun, who charted facial expressions to depict human passions like anger, fear, and joy. Rowlandson and Woodward, masters of Regency-era satire, travesty—meaning parody—Le Brun's dignified anatomical studies by exaggerating grotesque heads into comic distortions. Etching allowed for fine, intricate lines that captured these humorous, over-the-top features, making the print both technically precise and delightfully irreverent. Produced amid Britain's vibrant print culture at the turn of the 19th century, it reflects a cultural fascination with caricature as social commentary, poking fun at high art while entertaining the public. This gem from The Elisha Whittelsey Collection highlights how prints democratized humor, turning elite academic theory into accessible laughs. A perfect example of satire's enduring bite!