Snapshots of the Past

The comet of 1811 – Antique Wall Art

The comet of 1811, 1811 Jan. — historic print
The comet of 1811, 1811 Jan.. Historic print from the Fine Art Prints collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

The comet of 1811 comes to life in this historic print, reproduced from the original with every detail intact. It comes from the collections of the Library of Congress, scanned from the original and carefully restored.

Choose the framed print, ready to hang the day it arrives, or the unframed print for a frame of your own. A conversation-starting piece for home, office, or as a meaningful gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past has been bringing history to the wall since 2001, for tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

The comet of 1811

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Few comets left a larger mark on English print culture than the one that blazed across the sky in 1811, and this aquatint by Charles Wills turns the celestial visitor into a piece of social satire. The Great Comet of 1811 was watched closely across Britain and Europe, and it was soon linked in popular talk with an unusually fine wine vintage, a connection that caricaturists were quick to exploit. As part of the British cartoon prints of the period, the picture belongs to a tradition in which current events, public anxieties and everyday pleasures were reduced to sharp, often comic images for a broad audience.

Created / published1811 Jan.
Medium1 print : aquatint.
NotesAquatint by Charles Wills. cf: P&P - NE55.L7A3 vol. IX, no. 11705. Forms part of : British Cartoon Prints Collection (Library of Congress). This record contains unverified data from caption card.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,686 × 1,391 px · prints to 6 × 5 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-172842

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