Thomas Rowlandson

About the Print

This original hand-coloured aquatint entitled "Dr Syntax Visits a Boarding School for Young Ladies" was drawn and etched by Thomas Rowlandson and published in "The Second Tour of Doctor Syntax, in Search of Consolation" by William Combe (Ackermann, London, 1820). The charming scene depicts Dr. Syntax seated alongside the school mistress, addressing a group of attentive schoolgirls beneath a tree in an idyllic garden setting.

The various tours of Dr. Syntax follow the comic escapades of a fictional rural schoolteacher and pastor who attempts to make his fortune by traveling and then writing and illustrating a book about his experiences of quaint and unusual places. The story was first published in verse and serial form in 1809 in Rudolph Ackermann's "The Poetical Magazine" under the title "The Schoolmaster's Tour." Written by William Combe (1742-1823) and illustrated with colour plates by Rowlandson, the series proved enormously popular and was collected in 1812 as "The Tour of Dr. Syntax in Search of the Picturesque," reprinted numerous times during the following decades.

This successful collaboration of designer, author, and publisher produced three "Tours" in total: "The Tour of Dr. Syntax in Search of the Picturesque" (1812), "The Second Tour of Dr Syntax in Search of Consolation" (1820), and "The Third Tour of Dr Syntax in Search of a Wife" (1821).

About the Artist

Thomas Rowlandson (1757-1827) was one of England's most celebrated satirical artists and printmakers. Raised by a wealthy uncle and aunt after his textile-merchant father went bankrupt, Rowlandson entered London's Royal Academy Schools in 1772, visited Paris in 1774, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1775, and won a silver medal in 1777. He established his own business in 1778.

Rowlandson's depictions of life in Georgian England exposed human foibles and vanity with sympathy and rollicking humor. During the 1780s he consolidated the delicate style he used for his subjects, working mainly in ink and watercolour with rhythmic compositions, flowing line, and relaxed elegance inspired by French Rococo art. In 1789, at the height of his success, Rowlandson inherited a large sum from his aunt but quickly ran through the money gambling and traveling across Europe. By 1793 he was impoverished.

His fortunes changed in 1797 when he began working for fine-art publisher Rudolph Ackermann, who published most of Rowlandson's finest work for twenty years. It was said that the amount of copper Rowlandson etched would sheathe the British Navy—a testament to his prodigious output as an inveterate gambler who had to produce a flood of comic prints to stay ahead of financial losses.

Technical Details

Artist/Etcher: Thomas Rowlandson (1757-1827)
Title: Dr Syntax Visits a Boarding School for Young Ladies
Published: Ackermann, London, 1820
Medium: Hand-coloured etching with aquatint
Condition: Good condition
Dimensions: 15 x 22 cm / 6 x 8½ in (sheet)
Frame: 28 x 34.5 cm / 11 x 13½ in, gilt wood (contemporary), light grey acid-free matting and glass
Origin: United Kingdom

From the Second Tour of Dr Syntax series. References: The J. Paul Getty Museum, Royal Academy.