High Spirits: The Comic Art of Thomas Rowlandson

Portly squires and rake-thin curates. Jane Austen heroines and their gruesome chaperones. Dashing young officers and corrupt old politicians. The keenly observant caricatures by English cartoonist Thomas Rowlandson (1757–1827) make clear his sharp eye for current affairs as well as for his appreciation of the humor in everyday life.

High Spirits brings together more than one hundred caricatures by Rowlandson, with subjects spanning the entire range of English society, including numerous satires of politics and well-known political figures. Full-color illustrations are accompanied by details drawn from new archival research on both the cartoons and their royal collectors, from George IV to Victoria and Albert.

Rowlandson is among the most important contributors to the country’s Golden Age of Caricature, and High Spirits will be a welcome addition to studies of his work.