Monkeyana Or [M]en, In Miniature Designed, & Etched By Thomas Landseer
RA Collection: Book
Record number
06/5122
Imprint
Published. By F.G. Moon 20. Threadneedle St., London: August 1827
Physical Description
[25] pl. (incl. t.pl. and duplicate of pl. [4]); 430 mm.
General Note
Plate [4] is repeated as Plate [21].
Contents
[T.pl.] - [Plates [1]-[24]].
Responsibility Note
Six plates are unsigned; the rest are signed variously as by 'TL', 'Thomas Landseer', 'Drawn and etched by Thomas Landseer', 'T. Landseer', 'Ths Landseer', 'Thos L', 'Thos Landseer' or 'Landseer'.
References
A. Potts, 'Natural order and the call of the wild: the politics of animal picturing', in Oxford art journal, 13:1 (1990), p.12-33; C. Lennie, Landseer: the Victorian paragon, pp.168-71, 233-5, 245-6.
Summary Note
Three plates carry publication-dates, but these are not very clear: the title-plate and pl. [8] seem to read '1827'; plate [13] seems to read '1829' (or '1828').
The plates are satiric views of monkeys dressed as humans and engaged in human activities.
Provenance
The front free-endpaper is inscribed in ink, 'Hannah [illegible]' and in pencil 'J.H. Smith. Caradoc Lodge. Church Stretton. April 16th. 1881'. [This probably refers to John Halphead Smith (1826-96), son of the painter John Homes Smith (1797-1868), father of Gilbert Bakewell Stretton]. Bequeathed by G. B. Stretton, 1949 (see RA Annual Report for 1949, p. 48).
Copy Note
The front pastedown is inscribed in pencil, 'Complete in Six Parts. each 9/- India Proof. imperial 4to 12/- Before. Letters. small. folio. 21/- }See Catalogue of Engravings. Moon Boys & Graves. 1829. Page.190. J.H.Smith. This copy. "Before Letters small folio." contains 25 Plates. viz. Duplicate Plate of No. 4. as. Plate No 21 - '.
A leaf is loosely inserted on which are pasted nine cuttings, apparently from a newspaper, captioned as 'Step The First (- Ninth)' of ' "Monkeyana." The Gambler's Progress.'
Monkeys - Animals
Drawings - Caricatures - Great Britain - 19th century
Satire - Great Britain - 19th century
Pictorial works - Great Britain - 19th century