Bow Street Office

Rudolph Ackermann, London|Thomas Rowlandson|Auguste Charles Pugin|John Hill

March 1, 1808 · Hand-colored etching and aquatint · Drawings and Prints

Londoners crowd a courtroom in Bow Street, waiting to appear before a Westminster magistrate who sits on a podium in the left background. This court had been established in the 1740s to address minor crimes such as drunkenness, fighting and prostitution, and relieve pressure on higher courts such as the Old Bailey. By focussing on the waiting crowd, instead of those who adminstration of justice, the print conveys the capital's popular energy.

Artist

Rudolph Ackermann, London|Thomas Rowlandson|Auguste Charles Pugin|John Hill

Date

March 1, 1808

Medium

Hand-colored etching and aquatint

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917