The Pic-Nic Orchestra 1802

"The Pic-Nic Orchestra" (1802) is a satirical hand-colored etching by the English artist James Gillray, now housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The print depicts a group of amateur musicians, each playing an instrument with varying levels of skill, highlighting the absurdity of the social scene in early 19th-century England. Gillray's use of caricature and exaggeration, a hallmark of his work, effectively lampoons the upper class and their penchant for frivolous pursuits.