Illustration to William Cowper's Poem "The Diverting History of John Gilpin": John Gilpin's Neighbors Cheer His Speedy Departure from Town as His Horse Runs Away with Him 1857

Editor: This is John Whetten Ehninger’s 1857 pencil drawing, "Illustration to William Cowper's Poem 'The Diverting History of John Gilpin': John Gilpin's Neighbors Cheer His Speedy Departure from Town as His Horse Runs Away with Him,” currently housed at the Met. It has a distinctly chaotic, yet humorous energy. What strikes you about it? Curator: I’m immediately drawn to the materiality. Ehninger's choice of pencil on paper isn’t just about ease; it speaks to accessibility. Drawings like this were often reproduced as prints, widening distribution to a burgeoning middle class with disposable income and a hunger for accessible narratives. The poem itself, imagine it recited in homes – entertainment democratized through both literary and visual forms. Editor: That’s fascinating, the idea of mass production and accessibility. Curator: Precisely! And consider the labor involved, not just Ehninger's hand, but the printmakers, publishers, distributors – a whole network of making and consumption. What does this tell us about the social and economic conditions in which this image was made and circulated? What kind of taste did the audiences have and how was it affected by the narratives presented in images and verses such as these? Editor: So, beyond just the aesthetic quality, we can examine it as a product of its time? A reflection of the period's economic and social structure? Curator: Absolutely. This isn’t just an illustration; it's a piece of social history embedded in paper and pencil marks. It speaks volumes about the machinery of art in the 19th century and its expanding reach. Editor: I never considered all those layers before. I see it now. Thank you. Curator: It's about understanding the networks through which art is made, distributed, and consumed. Think of it as an artifact within a system.