Thomas Rowlandson

Thomas Rowlandson

by George Henry Harlow
pencil heightened with red chalk, 1814
9 1/4 in. x 7 3/4 in. (235 mm x 197 mm)
Purchased, 1936
Primary Collection
NPG 2813

Sitter

Thomas Rowlandson (1757-1827), Satirical draughtsman. Sitter associated with 4 portraits, Artist associated with 24 portraits.

Artist

George Henry Harlow (1787-1819), Portrait painter. Artist associated with 80 portraits, Sitter associated with 3 portraits.

This portrait

Thomas Rowlandson was one of the most accomplished and prolific of English professional draughtsmen. He portrayed the life and manners of his time in line drawings (usually with coloured washes) of the greatest verve and stylishness. In much of his best work satiric wit and caricature are tempered by sentiment, or a gentle eroticism, but his public also had an appetite for the sensational and grotesque which he amply satisfied. Here the artist is pictured with a drawing from one of his most acclaimed works, Tour of Doctor Syntax in Search of the Picturesque, which was produced in collaboration with William Combe in 1812.

Linked publications

Rogers, Malcolm, Master Drawings from the National Portrait Gallery, 1993 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 5 August - 23 October 1994), p. 89
Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 536
Walker, Richard, Regency Portraits, 1985, p. 428