A fascinating cache of unrecorded drawings by Rowlandson, discovered at Longleat. Rowlandson is best known as a talented caricaturist of everyday life. Where his predecessor Hogarth is more seriously satirical, Rowlandson is first and foremost humorous. He conjures up for us a bustling, amusing view of Regency England, every scene bursting with vivid comedy and ripe human characters. He was tireless and prolific but the lack of information on his life and artistic education is most frustrating - just two short obituaries, a few letters, a few recorded memories of old friends and the fact that the Royal Academy awarded him a silver medal in 1777 by 23 votes to one. It is not known exactly when Rowlandson and his brother-in-law Samuel Howitt executed the Longleat drawings relating to the Isle of Wight, but it is known that Rowlandson went there several times, most famously in the company of his friend Henry Wigstead - as the drawings recording the trip are now in the Huntington Library, in California. A post chaise was hired for 12 days, probably in the autumn of 1784, and the two friends travelled through Salisbury, Southampton, Lymington, Cowes and Portsmouth, with Rowlandson drawing all the way. They also made subsequent trips together, to Brighton in 1789 and to Wales in 1797; Rowlandson's drawings and Wigstead's accompanying journals of both were published together. This may have been Wigstead's intention with the Huntington Isle of Wight tour but unfortunately the journal was never published and has never been recorded. The purpose of the Longleat Isle of Wight drawings is unknown, but they do appear to be a later assemblage. None of the Longleat drawings are dated, although many have inscriptions identifying the topography. One records The Halswell, an East Indiaman wrecked at Peverall Point on 6 January 1786, which helps to date some of the drawings, although on stylistic grounds many appear to be later. Of the 112 drawings approximately 50 are by Rowlandson himself and about 30 are by Howitt; while the remainder are by three or more other hands. The size of the sheets and the design of the hand-washed mounts vary considerably and some have been cut down, suggesting that they were from a variety of sketchbooks and projects; they were certainly brought together no earlier than 1833, several years after Rowlandson's death, when they were purchased by Beriah Botfield who left them to Longleat. Rowlandson's original work can be faded, or retouched, so it is a pleasure to come across a collection of drawings in such wonderful fresh condition. Rowlandson also often repeated compositions but the majority of these drawings appear to be delightfully unique. Harriet Drummond is Head of the British Drawings and Watercolours Department at Christie's London. Back to top  |  Back to article list Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827) The quarter-deck of a Lymington passage boat Sold June 2002 by private treaty to the Isle of Wight Museum Service Christie's London Sale 6682, Lot 534 Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827) The New Inn at Steephill, Isle of Wight Sold June 2002 by private treaty to the Isle of Wight Museum Service Christie's London