Portraits of actors and playwrights [School piece or Penmanship sheet]

ca. 1773

Not on view

This sheet has a border adorned with portraits of the British actors, playwrights and poets Samuel Foote, David Garrick, Charles Churchill, George Colman the Elder, and Robert Lloyd. There is a signature and inscription below dated Christmas 1773 and moral verses have added at center.
The work comes from a genre known as writing sheets, writing blanks, penmanship exercises, letter sheets or school pieces, published in Britain ca. 1660 to 1860 and used by students to demonstrate their handwriting abilities.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Portraits of actors and playwrights [School piece or Penmanship sheet]
Engraver: Garnett Terry (British, 1744/46–1817)
Publisher: John Farrell (British, active 1770–90)
Sitter: Samuel Foote (British, baptized Truro, Cornwall 1721–1777 Dover)
Sitter: David Garrick (British, Hereford 1717–1779 London)
Sitter: Charles Churchill (British, 1731–1764)
Sitter: George Colman the Elder (British, 1732–1794)
Sitter: Robert Lloyd (British, 1733–1764)
Calligrapher: Inscribed text by Susanna Tinman (British, active 1773)
Date: ca. 1773
Medium: Etching and engraving with pen and ink
Dimensions: Sheet (trimmed within platemark): 16 5/8 × 13 11/16 in. (42.2 × 34.7 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Gift of Henry W. Kent, transferred from the Printing Office
Object Number: 41.44.1693
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

In the same medium

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Commeditor. A Book of New & Allegorical Devices, for Artists in General, & Particularly for Jewelers, Enamel painters, Pattern Drawers &c.

Garnett Terry

Bowles & Carver

July 25, 1795

Scrapbook of Drawings and Prints, Gideon Saint British, Pen and ink, engraving and etching — Scrapbook of Drawings and Prints
Gideon Saint
ca. 1760

Imaginary View of Venice, houses at left with figures on terraces, a domed church at center in the background, boats and boat-sheds below, and a seated man observing from a wall at right in the foreground, from "Views" (Vedute altre prese da i luoghi altre ideate da Antonio Canal), Canaletto (Giovanni Antonio Canal) Italian, Etching; undivided plate, only state — Imaginary View of Venice, houses at left with figures on terraces, a domed church at center in the background, boats and boat-sheds below, and a seated man observing from a wall at right in the foreground, from "Views" (Vedute altre prese da i luoghi altre ideate da Antonio Canal)
Canaletto (Giovanni Antonio Canal)
Joseph Smith
1741

Gin Lane, William Hogarth British, Engraved copper plate — Gin Lane
William Hogarth
1751

Beer Street, William Hogarth British, Engraved copper plate — Beer Street
William Hogarth
1751

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.