Doctor Syntax Pursued by a Bull 1 - 1815

This print, "Doctor Syntax Pursued by a Bull," was etched by Thomas Rowlandson, likely around 1817. The scene is made through etching, a printmaking process, and then is hand-colored with watercolor. The physical properties of etching allow for crisp lines to define the figures, full of exaggerated, expressive energy. The hand-applied color adds to the frenzied scene as Doctor Syntax scrambles to avoid the bull. Rowlandson was a master of this commercial printing process, enabling the wide distribution of satirical and humorous images in Georgian England. Prints like this reflect the growth of a consumer culture, where images could be rapidly produced and disseminated to a broad public. In this context, the skilled labor of the artist and the printmaker becomes part of a larger system of production and consumption. Rowlandson's art is a great example of how popular imagery, accessible through printmaking, can capture the spirit and social dynamics of its time.