Erotic Prints of Thomas Rowlandson Reveal Georgian Libertinism

The English painter Thomas Rowlandson (1757-1827) is renowned for his satirical and humorous artworks, but also for his often explicit and risqué erotic illustration. Rowlandson’s illustrations provide a glimpse into the Georgian era’s attitudes towards sexuality and desire, but also show the influence of the general cultural and aesthetic sensibilities of the eighteenth century and the Rococo art. Eighteenth century art is characterised by a sense of frivolity, playfulness and sensuality and Rowlandson’s illustrations reflect all these, but with a twist.

Fig.1  Rural Felicity or Love in a Chaise, 1799

Fig.2  The Country Squire New Mounted, 1799

Fig.3  The Gallop, or New Feats of Horsemanship, 1799

Totally Ugly

When looking at Rowlandson’s erotic prints it almost seems that he is mocking it all; sex, romance, sensuality. The scenes are infused with humor from the title alone to the tiniest detail. Some of the title of his illustrations sound like the titles of cheap 1970s erotic novels; “Rural Felicity or Love in a Chaise” and “The Willing Fair, or, Any Way to Please” to name a few examples. The humor is also evident in so many little details of the illustrations; the face of the horse in Fig.1., the exaggerated size of the man’s penis in Fig.5. and also his face – totally ugly and grotesque, is he in pain or in pleasure, that is hard to tell. Fig.20. shows two ugly men gazing at a woman’s buttocks and vagina. The expressions on their faces are incredibly amusing.

Fig.4  The Larking Cull, 1799

Fig.5  The Sanctified Sinner, 1799

Fig.6  The Wanton Frolic, 1799

Crossed Penises

The illustration “Meditation among the tombs” is one of my favorites because the erotic element here is mixed with the sacral and the morbid all in one print. The couple on the left is leaning on the church walls and having sex while on the right side of the print a funeral is taking place. Rowlandson isn’t shy when it comes to provocation. Notice that the tombstones have penises drawn on them, even crossed penises instead of the usual two bones and a skull. Now this is something that I had never seen before in art. I am truly stunned. Even the epitaph on one tombstone is funny, it says: “Life is a jest/And all things shew it/I thought so once/But now I know it.” Details such as these may be but juvenile provocations, but when combined with Rowlandson’s skilled hand they become artistic.

Fig.7  The Willing Fair, or Any Way to Please, 1799

Fig.8   The Toss Off, 1799

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Click HERE for an article on Rowlandson's fascinating "Pretty Little Games For Young Ladies & Gentlemen" series.

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