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THOMAS ROWLANDSON (1757-1827)
Theatrical Leap Frog.
30 Nov 1804RCIN 810599
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
Bibliographic reference(s)
BM Satires 10317 (BM Satires : Catalogue of political and personal satires preserved in the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum ... 11 v. in 12.)
