Pidgeon Hole. A Convent Garden Contrivance to Coop up the Gods

Thomas Rowlandson British
 Publisher Thomas Tegg British

Not on view

Rowlandson here alludes to the discomfort working-class audiences endured at the new Theatre Royal Covent Garden. After fire destroyed the old building in 1808, Robert Smirke designed an auditorium able to accommodate more than three thousand people and replaced many inexpensive seats with private boxes. As a result, humble ticket holders were forced to sit in arched galleries near the ceiling, nicknamed "pigeon holes," from which they could barely see the stage or hear the actors. The print suggests that the cramped conditions were deliberately planned to suppress lower-class energies. While a powerfully built man at center looks potentially dangerous, and another vomits onto the private boxes below, most dose off, wilt in the heat, or are distracted by companions.

Pidgeon Hole. A Convent Garden Contrivance to Coop up the Gods, Thomas Rowlandson (British, London 1757–1827 London), Hand-colored etching; reprint

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Pidgeon Hole. A Convent Garden Contrivance to Coop up the Gods, Thomas Rowlandson (British, London 1757–1827 London), Hand-colored etching; reprint
Pidgeon Hole. A Convent Garden Contrivance to Coop up the Gods, Thomas Rowlandson (British, London 1757–1827 London), Hand-colored etching; reprint

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.