Doctor Syntax Meditating on the Tomb Stones, from The Tour of Doctor Syntax by Thomas Rowlandson

Doctor Syntax Meditating on the Tomb Stones, from The Tour of Doctor Syntax c. 1812

drawing, print, etching, paper

drawing

aged paper

toned paper

yellowing background

photo restoration

parchment

print

etching

old engraving style

paper

tea stained

england

watercolour illustration

golden font

watercolor

"Doctor Syntax Meditating on the Tomb Stones" is a hand-colored etching by British artist Thomas Rowlandson, created around 1812. This humorous print is part of a series, "The Tour of Doctor Syntax", and depicts the eccentric Doctor Syntax contemplating his mortality while surrounded by gravediggers, mourners, and a curious child. Rowlandson's work is known for its satirical wit and exaggerated characters, capturing the social commentary of the time through a blend of caricature and landscape. The Art Institute of Chicago houses this significant example of Rowlandson's artistic legacy.