Two illustrations for "The Economy of Human Life"

Two illustrations for "The Economy of Human Life"

Frank Howard

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Printed from one plate, these two images come from a set of twelve. They were made for an illustrated book published in London by John van Voorst in 1834. Each centers on a vignette illustration, with the book's title above, quotes and publication details below. The prints are numbered below the images, p. 154 and p. 9. p. 154 shows a rural family standing next to an open fireplace, frightened by a snake. Text below: "Warm him in thy bosom and he will requite thee with death." p. 9 shows a sour faced man sitting next to a table. Text below: "He sitteth in his cell repining, and the good that happeneth to another is to him an evil." Related drawings by Howard are in the Museum's collection (66.542.37(8) and 66.542.37(9)).

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Two illustrations for "The Economy of Human Life"Two illustrations for "The Economy of Human Life"Two illustrations for "The Economy of Human Life"Two illustrations for "The Economy of Human Life"Two illustrations for "The Economy of Human Life"

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.