Bow Street Office

Various artists/makers

Not on view

Londoners crowd the Bow Street courtroom, waiting to appear before a Westminster magistrate who sits on a podium in the left background. Established in the 1740s, the court addressed minor crimes such as drunkenness, fighting and prostitution, and helped relieve pressure on higher courts such as the Old Bailey. By focussing on the waiting crowd, instead of those who adminster justice, the print conveys the city's popular energy.

Bow Street Office, Designed and etched by Thomas Rowlandson (British, London 1757–1827 London), Hand-colored etching and aquatint

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