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Kick Up at a Hazard Table

Publisher John Harris British
1787
Not on view
Men from a range of social classes gather to play Hazard, an old English dice game (from which modern craps descends). Tensions have erupted into violence after a British officer, standing at right, has suffered a substantial loss. He aims a pistol at an elderly Frenchman, identified by his long pigtail, who responds in kind to protect his winnings. To stave off disaster, a third gambler prepares to bring down a chair on the officer, while another soldier aims a bottle and candlestick at the Frenchman. Rowlandson’s vortex-like arrangement conveys the disruptive forces that gambling sets loose and his expressive use of tonal aquatint and added color in this rare pre-publication state of the print accentuate the drama. At the time he produced this print the artist was himself steadily wagering away a substantial legacy received in 1789 and was destitute by 1793.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Kick Up at a Hazard Table
  • Artist: Thomas Rowlandson (British, London 1757–1827 London)
  • Publisher: John Harris (British, ca. 1740–1811)
  • Date: 1787
  • Medium: Hand-colored etching and aquatint
  • Dimensions: sheet: 16 1/8 x 21 7/16 in. (40.9 x 54.4 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959
  • Object Number: 59.533.348
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

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Migrants, Thomas Rowlandson British, Watercolor
Migrants
Thomas Rowlandson
1780–1827
Going to Ivy Bridge, Thomas Rowlandson British, Watercolor
Going to Ivy Bridge
Thomas Rowlandson
1780–1827
The Sailor's Return from Active Service, Thomas Rowlandson British, Watercolor
The Sailor's Return from Active Service
Thomas Rowlandson
1780–1827
Departure of Blanchard and Jeffries' Balloon from Dover, January 7, 1785, Thomas Rowlandson British, Hand-colored etching
Departure of Blanchard and Jeffries' Balloon from Dover, January 7, 1785
Multiple artists/makers
January 1794
Ships and Sailors, Thomas Rowlandson British, Watercolor
Ships and Sailors
Thomas Rowlandson
late 18th–early 19th century

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