Longways Dance 

Editor: This is Thomas Rowlandson's "Longways Dance," from the Tate Collections. It looks like it's pen and ink with watercolor. What’s striking is how much social commentary is packed into such a small image. What do you see in this piece? Curator: It's fascinating how Rowlandson utilizes seemingly simple materials to critique social structures. The very act of rendering this dance, likely a leisure activity for the upper classes, in such a satirical manner, questions the labor and resources required to maintain these social performances. Editor: So the medium itself is part of the message? Curator: Precisely. Rowlandson is inviting us to consider the material conditions that enable this scene, and perhaps even the ethical implications of such extravagant displays. It invites us to think about the means of production and consumption inherent in the scene portrayed. Editor: That gives me a lot to think about. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure.