Comedy in the Country, Tragedy in London

Comedy in the Country, Tragedy in London

Social satire, Medicine in art

In contrast to the opposite work about audience, this print illustrates attendance at non-patent or “illegitimate” theatres, one in London and one in the countryside. Non-patented theatres in England were theoretically illegal, so they usually included programs of music to disguise their productions as concerts instead of plays. The boisterous crowd from the country enjoys a raucous musical performance in a rustic space. The city crowd appears more urbane, but a barrier of spikes has been installed to protect the musicians and actors from the emotional and unpredictable crowd. A woman near the center wears a tri-color bonnet, perhaps a symbol of the 1791 Chapelier Law, which encouraged free-market theatre in France.

Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827)

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Thomas Tegg, London

1807

Debra Cashion, in collaboration with Elisabeth Barrett, '15

Hand-colored etching; original dimensions, 347 x 246 mm

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Still image

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