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

Editor: This is “Doctor Syntax Meditating on the Tomb Stones, from The Tour of Doctor Syntax,” created around 1812 by Thomas Rowlandson. It's a drawing, or perhaps a print? It has the look of an etching on paper. I am immediately drawn to the composition and the narrative aspect; it feels very story-like. How do you interpret this work, in all its detail? Curator: Oh, my dear, it's a delightful tumble into the past! This etching—yes, you're right, the lines give it away—isn’t just a pretty picture, but a sly commentary wrapped in caricature. Rowlandson, that cheeky chap, was illustrating William Combe's poem. Imagine: Doctor Syntax, with his peculiar hat and equally peculiar posture, stands amidst these stones. It's not just about history; it's about poking fun at scholarly pretension. Do you notice how the landscape behind seems to mimic his exaggerated features? The world is in on the joke! Editor: That's so interesting! So it is a humor piece rather than a serious depiction? Curator: Absolutely! The exaggerated expressions, the slightly absurd poses – it's all part of the jest. But think, too, about the Romanticism that bubbles beneath the surface. Graveyards, ruins... the Romantics adored these symbols of mortality. Rowlandson is playing with that trend, giving it a good-natured nudge. It makes one wonder about the seriousness of our endeavors, doesn't it? Editor: It does, yes. I’ll never look at a graveyard the same way again! Curator: Exactly! That's the beauty of art; it tweaks our perspectives, turns things delightfully upside down.