Title Page 1807 - 1809

This is the title page from “Caricature Magazine or Hudibrastic Mirror by Thomas Rowlandson, Esq.,” made in England sometime around 1820. It shows Rowlandson's acute awareness of the social role of caricature. The print makes meaning through visual codes, cultural references, and historical associations. Rowlandson situates caricature between two extremes of social class. On one side, he depicts ‘Whimsical Characters ascending to the Temple of Fame,’ and on the other, ‘A Grotesque Deputation from the Temple of Momus.’ Momus, in Greek mythology, was the personification of satire and mockery. Rowlandson here satirizes his own audience. We see in his composition an acknowledgment that the social function of satire is to mediate between the elite and the common person. To understand this, we need to consider not only the imagery but also the institutions that give it meaning. A resource like the British Museum online database might help us understand it better. Art, after all, is always contingent on social and institutional context.