The Prodigal Son Revelling with Harlots
PrintmakerEtched by
Amos Doolittle
(American, 1754 - 1832)
PublisherPublished by
Shelton & Kensett
(American, founded 1813)
Date1814
MediumEtching; printer's ink and watercolor on wove paper
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width): 12 1/2 x 9 1/2in. (31.8 x 24.1cm)
Platemark (height x width): 14 x 10in. (35.6 x 25.4cm)
Sheet (height x width): 14 5/8 x 11 1/2in. (37.1 x 29.2cm)
ClassificationsGraphics
Credit LineConnecticut Museum of Culture and History collection
Object number1992.140.2
DescriptionThree young men are seated at a round table with two young women. A third woman stands in the right background, pouring liquid from a glass on the head of one of the men. The men wear coats, vests, breeches, hose, and shoes with buckles. They have lace cuffs and lace on their neckties or stocks. One man wears a cocked hat with a rosette. The women wear dresses with high waistlines and plumes or ribbons in their hair. Two bottles, probably wine bottles, goblets, and a bowl of fruit are on the table. Two of the men and one of the women hold the goblets raised, as if drinking a toast. An oval mirror with attached candle sconces is on the wall in the left background. Two framed pictures, one of a man seated beside a stream, the other of a castle on a hill, are in the right background. A patterned carpet is on the floor.
Label TextAmos Doolittle's four prints of The Prodigal Son include elements from Connecticut portrait paintings of the late 18th century, situating the Biblical parable in a setting that would have been immediately familar to contemporary viewers.
NotesSubject Note: Although the impression of this print in the Library of Congress was printed on an old map like other prints in the series, the verso of this impression is blank. (Finlay 2/3/2011)Status
Not on view
Dr. Cyrus Pendleton