The Improvement of Morals

Description

This plate satirizes the efforts of Merlino, an inferior Berlin engraver who drew attention to bizarre current events through his weekly publications. At the center, a scaffold holds thirteen images. To the right, a street musician performs before a crowd, while on the left a hot-air baloon goes up in flames. In the background are caricatures and depictions of crimes.

The Improvement of Morals

Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki

1786

Accession Number

80339

Medium

Etching and engraving on ivory laid paper

Dimensions

Plate: 21.2 × 33.5 cm (8 3/8 × 13 1/4 in.); Sheet: 22 × 34.5 cm (8 11/16 × 13 5/8 in.)

Classification

etching

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Anonymous gift