Banditti Returning 1780

Robert Blyth's 1780 etching "Banditti Returning" depicts a group of bandits returning from a raid, capturing a woman as they go. The scene is likely based on a drawing by J. Mortimer. The image is stark and dramatic, with the figures rendered in a detailed and naturalistic style. The work highlights the social anxieties of the time regarding crime and violence. The print, which is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, demonstrates the technical skill of Blyth, who died just four years after the print was made.