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1 of 253523 objects
Thomas Rowlandson (1757-1827)
Theatrical Leap Frog. 30 - 30 Nov 1804
Hand-coloured etching | 36.6 x 24.0 cm (sheet of paper) | RCIN 810599
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A hand-coloured print of the actor John Philip Kemble stooping as a young William Betty (nicknamed 'Roscius'), a popular child actor at the time, leap-frogs over his older counterpart. The thirteen-year-old actor William Betty first appeared on the London stage to great acclaim in late 1804. Betty’s popularity challenged the actor John Kemble, who had previously been the darling of the London theatre. Rowlandson shows Betty vaulting over Kemble, who bemoans his fate with a version of Ophelia’s words from Hamlet. Inscribed in the plate: Published 30 November 1804 by R. Ackermann N 103 Strand
Provenance
Purchased by the Prince of Wales from Hannah Humphrey on 15 December 1804 for 2s (RA GEO/MAIN/27725)
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Creator(s)
(publisher)Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Hand-coloured etching
Measurements
36.6 x 24.0 cm (sheet of paper)
Other number(s)
BM Satires : Catalogue of political and personal satires preserved in the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum ... 11 v. in 12. – BM Satires 10317Bibliographic reference(s)
BM Satires : Catalogue of political and personal satires preserved in the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum ... 11 v. in 12. BM Satires 10317
Featured in
ExhibitionHigh Spirits: The Comic Art of Thomas Rowlandson: The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace
Through the humour of Rowlandson’s drawings and prints, this exhibition examines life at the turn of the 19th century.
