House-Breakers

Drawn and etched by Thomas Rowlandson British
Etcher Aquatint by Thomas Malton British
Publisher S. W. Fores British
August 1, 1791
Not on view
Two men holding pistols look around a partly open door at a couple in a bedroom at night. Stepping from the bed, the man wears a night shirt and aims a blunderbuss at the burglars, as his wife kneels behind him. A candle burns on a table at left and there is an overturned chamber pot on the floor. Within a printed aquatint border.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: House-Breakers
  • Artist: Drawn and etched by Thomas Rowlandson (British, London 1757–1827 London)
  • Etcher: Aquatint by Thomas Malton (British, London 1748–1804 London)
  • Publisher: S. W. Fores (London)
  • Date: August 1, 1791
  • Medium: Hand-colored etching and aquatint
  • Dimensions: Sheet (trimmed): 12 3/16 × 14 1/4 in. (30.9 × 36.2 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959
  • Object Number: 59.533.431
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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