484 
Qf 
Caricature 
Grofeygue 
and 
this time, and efpecially toward the clofe of the century, Rowland[bn's 
caricatures on focial life became very numerous, and they are fo well 
known that it becomes unneceffary, nor indeed would it be eafy, to feleot 
a few examples which would illuflrate all his charaiteriliic excellencies. 
In prints publilhed by Fores at the beginning of 1794, the addrefs of the 
publiiher is followed by the Words, " where may be had all Rowlandlbifs 
works," which {hows how great was his reputation as a caricaturitt at that 
time. It may be Gated briefly that he was diftinguiihed by a remarkable 
verfatility of talent, by a great fecundity of imagination, and by a {kill in 
grouping quite equal to that of Gillray, and with a fingular eafe in 
forming his groups of a great number of figures. Among thofe of his 
contemporaries who fpoke of him with the higheft praife were Iir Jofhua 
Reynolds and Benjamin Weft. It has been remarked, too, that no artift 
ever polTeH'ed the power of Rowlandtbn of exprelling fo much with lb 
little effort. We trace a great diilerence in {tyle between Rowland['on's 
earlier and his later works; although there is a general identity of cha- 
230. 
Opera Beauties. 
raeler which cannot be miflaken. The iigures in the former {how a talle 
for grace and elegance that is rare in his later works, and We End a deli- 
cacy of beauty in his females which he appears afterwards to have entirely 
laid aflde. An example ofhis earlier Ptyle in depicting female faces is fur- 
nilhed by the pretty farmer's wife, in the print of " The Tythe Pig," jnft 
alluded to; and I may quote as another example, an etching publilhecl on 
the