She stoops to conquer, Thomas Rowlandson

The central room of a prison. Various strong doors and iron-grated windows open on the chamber. Bolts, padlocks, and strings of fetters indicate the nature of the security. Behind a grating is seen a prisoner, on whose behalf a buxom damsel is supposed to 'stoop to conquer,' since by dint of a plentiful repast, renewed strong potations, and those tender cajoleries which are believed to be the special weapons of the fair, the lady is evidently endeavouring to gain possession of the precious keys which will enable her to set her imprisoned swain at liberty.

Courtesy of Boston Public Library

Thomas Rowlandson - English caricaturist of the 18th and early 19th centuries Britain, known for his humor, caricatures, satirical drawings, and watercolors, a popular artist in the Regency period in England.

thomas rowlandson 1756 1827 prints and drawings boston public library arts department prisons prisoners seduction dogs the caricature magazine or hudibrastic mirror vol 5 etchings caricatures prints english thomas rowlandson 1756 1827 ultra high resolution high resolution thomas rowlandson 1757 1827 thomas rowlandson british dog

1811

Boston Public Library

https://ark.digitalcommonwealth.org/

Public Domain