Skip to main content

Master John Crewe

Artist/Maker (English, 1751–1812)
after (English, 1723–1792)
Date1776
MediumMezzotint
DimensionsImage: 19 3/4 × 13 7/8 in. (50.2 × 35.2 cm)
Sheet: 20 5/16 × 15 5/16 in. (51.6 × 38.9 cm)
Credit LineAnnie A. Wager Bequest
Object number1975.110
Status
Not on view
More Information
This boy’s future role in the ruling elite is evident in his opulent clothing and confident stance. Although he holds a dagger and is presented as a miniature adult, his widened eyes and joyful expression allude to an understanding of childhood as a state distinct from adulthood, a development occurring during the second half of the 18th century. A profusion of children’s toys, games, and educational initiatives in Britain during this period led one historian to call it a “new world of children.” Contemporary philosophers such as John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau advocated for a child’s autonomy and self-discipline as a means for developing them into socially responsible modern individuals.
Exhibition History
Investigating Romanticism, 1750-1850: A Century of Contrasts
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (October 28, 1980 - November 23, 1980 )
Eighteenth-Century English Prints
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (June 19, 1987 - July 19, 1987 )
Transformation: Images of Childhood and Adolescence
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (September 1, 2015 - December 23, 2015 )
Cute
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (February 9, 2021 - July 2, 2021 )
Collections
  • European