Thomas Rowlandson “Summer Amusement at Margate” George Grosz Collection 1930

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From the private archive of the Estate of Lilian Grosz (1930–2025), daughter-in-law of the legendary German Expressionist artist George Grosz … Read more From the private archive of the Estate of Lilian Grosz (1930–2025), daughter-in-law of the legendary German Expressionist artist George Grosz (1893–1959). This piece was originally part of George Grosz’s personal reference collection and study archive, preserved for decades by his son, Peter M. Grosz (the artist's archivist), and subsequently by his wife, Lilian Grosz, in Princeton, New Jersey. As a co-manager of the George Grosz Estate, Lilian meticulously curated and protected the family’s historic holdings. We possess full documented provenance for the purchase of these caricatures from the George Grosz estate, including the official sales receipt, address, exact dates of the estate sale, photographic evidence from the location, and books from his personal library bearing his collection stamps.

George Grosz was a 20th-century master of social and political satire. Owning a rare, historical caricature from his personal study collection offers exceptional historical context and an elite, museum-level pedigree.

This rare hand-colored etching by Thomas Rowlandson comes from the personal reference collection of the legendary German Expressionist artist George Grosz (1893–1959).

• Acquired by George Grosz in 1930 (before his emigration to America in 1933) for 60 Reichsmarks at the renowned Wertheim Antikvitäten in Berlin.

• Preserved for decades in the Grosz family archive in Princeton, New Jersey — first by his son and archivist Peter M. Grosz, then by his daughter-in-law Lilian Grosz (co-manager of the Estate).

• This piece was part of Grosz’s private study collection of satirical prints, which he used as visual references for his own sharp social caricatures.

• Full documented provenance available: original estate sale receipt, photographic evidence, and detailed family history.

Title: Summer Amusement at Margate, or a Peep at the Mermaids

Artist: Thomas Rowlandson

Date: c. 1810–1815,

Dimensions:

Image: 13.75 x 9.75 inches (34.9 x 24.8 cm)

Framed: 21 x 17 inches (53.3 x 43.2 cm)

British Museum reference: 1935,0522.9.74

Classic Rowlandson satirical scene showing holidaymakers at Margate using a telescope to view “mermaids” (bathing women in the sea). Witty and characteristic social observation with light erotic undertones.

Good vintage condition. Presented in a frame. See less