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Vauxhall Garden

1809
Not on view
In 1785 an established pleasure complex south of the Thames River in London was renovated and renamed Vauxhall Gardens. Tree-lined walks were adorned with statues and architectural elements and pavilions offered refreshment and entertainment. Most of the buildings were brilliantly lit and nightly attractions included concerts and fireworks. Here, a military band plays on the balcony of a decorated pavilion, as people dine below and couples dance outside–by the early nineteenth century it cost 3 shillings and six pence to enter Vauxhall for an evening during the season which lasted from May to August. Rowlandson visited Vauxhall often and found, as his friend Henry Angelo noted, "plenty of employment for his pencil."

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Vauxhall Garden
  • Series/Portfolio: Microcosm of London, pl. 88
  • Artist: Designed and etched by Thomas Rowlandson (British, London 1757–1827 London)
  • Artist: Designed and etched by Auguste Charles Pugin (British (born France), Paris 1768/69–1832 London)
  • Artist: Aquatint by John Bluck (British, 1791–1832)
  • Publisher: Rudolph Ackermann, London (British, active 1794–1832)
  • Date: 1809
  • Medium: Hand-colored etching and aquatint
  • Dimensions: Sheet (trimmed): 17 1/16 × 13 1/16 in. (43.4 × 33.2 cm)
    Plate: 11 1/4 × 8 9/16 in. (28.5 × 21.8 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
  • Object Number: 17.3.1167-155
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

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Vauxhall Garden, Thomas Rowlandson British, Hand-colored etching and aquatint
Vauxhall Garden
Multiple artists/makers
October 2, 1809
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

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