Thomas Rowlandson

Doctor Syntax, Copying the Wit of the Window (The Poetical Magazine)

Thomas Rowlandson's original, early first edition etching and aquatint, Doctor Syntax, Copying the Wit of the Window, was created by the artist in 1809. The genesis of the character of Doctor Syntax took place when Rowlandson offered the London publisher, Rudolph Ackermann, a selection of satirical drawings depicting an elderly, bumbling schoolmaster and clergyman traveling the country in search of the artful and picturesque. Ackermann desired the images for a new monthly venture of his the -- Poetical Magazine -- but wanted verses to accompany them. The author and poet, William Combe (1741-1823), was thus solicited and a lengthy satirical poem was created on the go. In his preface to the second edition of the completed poem Combe wrote,

"An etching or a drawing was accordingly sent to me every month, and I composed a certain proportion of pages in verse, in which, of course, the subject of the design was included: the rest depended upon what would be the subject of the second; and in this manner, in a great measure, the artist continued designing, and I continued writing every month for two years, till a work containing near ten thousand lines was produced: the artist and the writer having no personal communication with, or knowledge of each other."

The work, a huge success, was thus published in parts in the Poetical Magazine with the title of "The Schoolmaster's Tour", between 1809 and 1811. Due to great demand it was printed as a book in 1812, under the now familiar title of The Tour of Doctor Syntax in Search of the Picturesque. Sales were so high that many editions quickly followed, and by the fourth edition, in 1813, Rowlandson's original etched plates had become so worn that new plates had to be engraved by other hands. Thus only the initial impressions from the actual magazine, such as this original example, bear the fine lines and shades of the first printing. This original Thomas Rowlandson aquatint and etching bears the date and publisher's address "No. 5 of the Poetical Magazine, Pub. Sepr. 1st, 1809, at Rudolph Ackermann's Repository of Arts, 101 Strand, London" and the plate number "10" in the upper margin, as well as the title, "Doctor Syntax, Copying the Wit of the Window" in the lower margin. It is a striking, original example of the famous etched art created by the British artist, Thomas Rowlandson, one of England's most accomplished satirical masters.

Original Hand-Colored Etching & Aquatint by the British satirical artist, Thomas Rowlandson.

Doctor Syntax, Copying the Wit of the Window (The Poetical Magazine)

View other original etchings by Thomas Rowlandson.

Thomas Rowlandson (London, 1756 - 1827)
#	Title & Artist	Medium	Date	Notes	-
01.-	Admiration etched by Thomas Rowlandson designed by George Moutard Woodward	Original Soft Ground Etching	1800	Published by Rudolph Ackermann, London	Available
02.-	Deadly Lively by Thomas Rowlandson	Original Hand-Coloured Etching	1815	Published by Thomas Tegg, London	Sold
03.-	Doctor Syntax, Copying the Wit of the Window by Thomas Rowlandson	Original Hand-Colored Etching & Aquatint	1809 (1st Ed.)	Published by The Poetical Magazine at Rudolph Ackermann's Repository of Arts, 101 Strand, London	Available
04.-	Hot Goose, Cabbage & Cucumbers by Thomas Rowlandson	Original Hand-Coloured Etching	1823	Published by John Fairburn, Ludgate Hill	Sold
05.-	Preaching to Some Purpose etched by Thomas Rowlandson designed by George Moutard Woodward	Original Etching	1801	Publishd by Rudolph Ackermann, The Strand, London	Sold
06.-	The Battle from The English Dance of Death by Thomas Rowlandson	Original Aquatint & Etching Printed in Colour	1815	Published by Rudolph Ackermann, London	Available
07.-	The Bishop from The English Dance of Death by Thomas Rowlandson	Original Aquatint & Etching Printed in Colour	1815	Published by Rudolph Ackermann, London	Sold
08.-	The Consultation or Last Hope by Thomas Rowlandson	Original Etching	1808	Published by Rudolph Ackermann, London	Sold
09.-	The Corporal in Good Quarters by Thomas Rowlandson	Original Hand-Coloured Etching	1808 (2nd Ed.)	Published by S. Howitt, London	Available
10.-	The Death Blow from The English Dance of Death by Thomas Rowlandson	Original Aquatint & Etching Printed in Colour	1815	Published by Rudolph Ackermann, London	Sold
11.-	The Dram Shop from The English Dance of Death by Thomas Rowlandson	Original Aquatint & Etching Printed in Colour	1815	Published by Rudolph Ackermann, London	Sold
12.-	The Duel from The English Dance of Death by Thomas Rowlandson	Original Aquatint & Etching Printed in Colour	1815	Published by Rudolph Ackermann, London	Sold
13.-	The Gaming Table from The English Dance of Death by Thomas Rowlandson	Original Aquatint & Etching Printed in Colour	1815	Published by Rudolph Ackermann, London	Sold
14.-	The Manager's Last Kick, Or a New Way to Pay Old Debts by Thomas Rowlandson	Original Hand-Coloured Etching	c. 1815	Published in London	Sold
15.-	The Pantomime from The English Dance of Death by Thomas Rowlandson	Original Aquatint & Etching Printed in Colour	1815	Published by Rudolph Ackermann, London	Sold
16.-	The Quaker, and the Comissioners of Excise etched by Thomas Rowlandson designed by George Moutard Woodward	Original Hand-Coloured Etching	1807	Pulished by Thomas Tegg, London	Sold
17.-	The Wedding from The English Dance of Death by Thomas Rowlandson	Original Aquatint & Etching Printed in Colour	1815	Published by Rudolph Ackermann, London	Sold
18.-	The Tooth-Ache, or, Torment & Torture by Thomas Rowlandson	Original Hand-Coloured Etching	1823	Published by John Fairburn, Ludgate Hill	Sold
19.-	Wapping by Thomas Rowlandson	Original Etching	1807	Published by Rudolph Ackermann, Repository of Arts, London	Sold

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Title:	Doctor Syntax, Copying the Wit of the Window
Artist:	Rowlandson, Thomas (London, 1756 - 1827)
Date:	Date: September 1, 1809
Medium:	Original Hand-Colored Etching & Aquatint
Publisher:	The Poetical Magazine at Rudolph Ackermann's Repository of Arts, 101 Strand, London
Edition:	First Edition
Note:	Thomas Rowlandson: Along with Hogarth, Gillray and Cruikshank, Thomas Rowlandson is at the uppermost peak of English satirical art. Amongst these masters, however, Rowlandson was the most accomplished draughtsman and his compositions seem the closest to the truth, for he often lived the dissipated style of life he so memorably satirized. After studying in both Paris and London, Rowlandson began his career as a portrait painter. By 1782, however, he devoted himself almost exclusively to his first love; caricature and satirical art. After receiving a large inheritance, Rowlandson quickly gambled it away. Losing his fortune at a thirty-six hour card game he is known to have exclaimed, “I've played the fool, but (holding up his pencils) here is my resource.”
	Working with such publishers as Rudolph Ackermann, Flores, John Fairburn and Thomas Tegg, Rowlandson designed many memorable single plate satires and illustrated books. In the book arts he collaborated with the famous London publisher, Rudolph Ackermann (1734-1834), to produce some of the finest satirical volumes in the history of art. These included The Microcosm of London (1808), the Tour of Dr. Syntax in Search of the Picturesque (1812) and The English Dance of Death, published in two volumes in 1815 and 1816. William Combe provided the verses for the latter two books.
	Created in 1809, Doctor Syntax, Copying the Wit of the Window, was created by Thomas Rowlandson in 1809, and is an early first edition impression. The genesis of the character of Doctor Syntax took place when Rowlandson offered the London publisher, Rudolph Ackermann, a selection of satirical drawings depicting an elderly, bumbling schoolmaster and clergyman traveling the country in search of the artful and picturesque. Ackermann desired the images for a new monthly venture of his the -- Poetical Magazine -- but wanted verses to accompany them. The author and poet, William Combe (1741-1823), was thus solicited and a lengthy satirical poem was created on the go. In his preface to the second edition of the completed poem Combe wrote, "An etching or a drawing was accordingly sent to me every month, and I composed a certain proportion of pages in verse, in which, of course, the subject of the design was included: the rest depended upon what would be the subject of the second; and in this manner, in a great measure, the artist continued designing, and I continued writing every month for two years, till a work containing near ten thousand lines was produced: the artist and the writer having no personal communication with, or knowledge of each other."
	The work, a huge success, was thus published in parts in the Poetical Magazine with the title of "The Schoolmaster's Tour", between 1809 and 1811. Due to great demand it was printed as a book in 1812, under the now familiar title of The Tour of Doctor Syntax in Search of the Picturesque. Sales were so high that many editions quickly followed, and by the fourth edition, in 1813, Rowlandson's original etched plates had become so worn that new plates had to be engraved by other hands. Thus only the initial impressions from the actual magazine, such as this original example, bear the fine lines and shades of the first printing. This original Thomas Rowlandson aquatint and etching bears the date and publisher's address "No. 5 of the Poetical Magazine, Pub. Sepr. 1st, 1809, at Rudolph Ackermann's Repository of Arts, 101 Strand, London" and the plate number "10" in the upper margin, as well as the title, "Doctor Syntax, Copying the Wit of the Window" in the lower margin.
	In Doctor Syntax Copying the Wit of the Window. Rowlandson has etched a scene in which Dr. Syntax is standing in an inn's breakfast room where he is gazing at a window while making notes. He is at yet unaware that a maid, who is fully occupied with the amorous actions of a young man, is inadvertently pouring hot water on Dr. Syntax. A dog takes advantage of the situation and steals a meal from the table. Two pictures are seen on the wall. The framed picture features a jockey leading his horse. Beside it is a print of Catalani, singing. Angelica Catalani (1782-1849) was a famous Italian soprano. She made her London debut in 1806, and on the mantle, there is a framed certificate that reads, "Masonic Society...". This original etching also appeared in The Tour of Doctor Syntax, In Search of the Picturesque, A Poem, Sixth Edition, by the Reverend Doctor Syntax, published by Rudolph Ackermann, 1816. However, that etching includes Rowlandson's name in the lower left margin, and is numbered 'PL 6' in the upper margin. Part of the poem that accompanies that plate six on page 32 of that volume reads; "But as he copied quite delighted, All that the Muze had thus indited, A hungry dog, and prone to steal, Ran off with half his breakfast meal; While Dolly, ent'ring with a kettle, Was follow'd by a man of mettle, Who swore he'd have the promis'd kiss; And, as he seiz'd the melting bliss, From the hot ill-poised kettle's spout, The boiling stream came pouring out, And drove the Doctor from the Muse, By quickly filling both his shoes." **
	The Lewis Walpole Library at Yale University, the Royal Academy of Arts and the British Museum, London, list impressions of Doctor Syntax Copying the Wit of the Window in their permanent collections. Their examples, however, bear the later dates of either 1812 or 1813.
Size:	4 1/4 x 7 1/2 (Sizes in inches are approximate, height preceding width of plate-mark or image.)
	Framed and Matted with 100% Archival Materials

Buy Now	Price: $395.00 US
Condition:	Printed on early nineteenth century wove paper and with full margins as published in the Poetical Magazine in 1809. Bearing the date and publisher's address "No. 5 of the Poetical Magazine, Pub. Sepr. 1st, 1809, at Rudolph Ackermann's Repository of Arts, 101 Strand, London" and the plate number "10" in the upper margin, as well as the title, "Doctor Syntax, Copying the Wit of the Window" in the lower margin. This is a strongly printed, early impression with original hand-coloring and is in excellent condition throughout. This original impression of Doctor Syntax Copying the Wit of the Window represents a prime example of the famous etched art of Thomas Rowlandson, one of England’s most accomplished satirical masters.
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