Rowlandson, Thomas "A maiden aunt smelling fire."

Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827).  "A maiden aunt smelling fire." London: Thomas Rowlandson, May 1, 1812. Hand colored etching. Originally published May 1, 1806. 12 1/8 x 8 3/4 (neat lines) plus margins. Old mat burn visible. Complete margins.  Trained at the Royal Academy Schools and in Paris, Thomas Rowlandson quickly earned a reputation as a caricature expert. His sharp eye, comic renderings, and delicate use of color soon established him as one of the important English artists of his period. In order to fund his expensive, convivial lifestyle, he produced numerous prints and series of prints, poking cleverly at British society and popular culture. This print is an example of what Ronald Paulson in Rowlandson: A New Interpretation (1972) called "Youth and Age; The Romantic Triangle." Although not appearing in M. Dorothy George, Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires Preserved in the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum, the print is described by the Museum thu