A fire at a brothel

Thomas Rowlandson was a brilliant draughtsman and one of the most popular artists of the Georgian period. Born shortly before the accession of George III he was active until the last two years of his life, dying only 10 years before Queen Victoria came to the throne. His mature drawing style had developed by the mid 1780s and although his style and technique remained consistent thereafter, the subject matter he was drawn to was diverse. Rowlandsons's work fell out of favour during the Victorian period which found his ribald sense of humour distasteful but today Rowlandson's qualities are fully appreciated and he is admired internationally both as a comic artist, an observer and commentator on the contemporary scene and for his superb draughtmanship.