Thomas Rowlandson's "The Comforts of Bath"
(1798)
(These images are all from The Victoria Art Gallery, Bath and North
East Somerset)
This series of watercolor drawings gives us Rowlandson's
visual satire on the activities at Bath, whether bathing, gaming, dining,
sitting for a portrait, enjoying a concert, dancing or romancing.
In each drawing, the figure of the rotund visitor to the Bath, reminiscent
of Humphry Clinker's fussy Mr. Bramble, provides one point of view
from which to view the scene, while Rowlandson gives us an outsider's view
as well. If you would like to see larger versions of any of these
scenes, click on the image you wish to see.
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| The baths. |
The breakfast. |
The concert. |
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| The games. |
The portrait. |
The dinner. |
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The dancing. |
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