Thomas Rowlandson (; 13 July 1756 – 21 April 1827) was an English artist and caricaturist of the Georgian Era, noted for his political satire and social observation. A prolific artist, he also wrote satirical verse under the pen name of Peter Pindar. Rowlandson's mastery of line and wash is unparalleled in the period. He was a great producer of engravings and etchings. It was said that the amount of copper Thomas Rowlandson etched would sheathe the British Navy. An inveterate gambler, for much of his life Rowlandson had to produce a flood of his comic prints to stay ahead of financial losses.A wealthy uncle and aunt raised Rowlandson after his textile-merchant father went bankrupt. His career developed quickly. He entered London's Royal Academy Schools in 1772, visited Paris in 1774, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1775, and won a silver medal in 1777. He left school in 1778 to set up in business.Rowlandson's depictions of life in Georgian England exposed human foibles and vanity with sympathy and rollicking humor.