Auteur biedt een boekhandelaar zijn manuscript aan 1815

This anonymous 1815 hand-colored etching depicts a scene of satire, titled “The Author and the Bookseller,” now housed in the Rijksmuseum. The image shows a book publisher evaluating the manuscript of a rather desperate-looking author. The author is depicted as a portly man with a sheepish expression, dressed in a blue coat and white knee breeches, offering his book to a stern-looking publisher in a black coat. The exchange highlights the stark differences in social class between the author and the bookseller, and the comical nature of their interaction suggests a satirical commentary on the publishing industry.