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Hand-colored etching of a yellow comet with a caricatured face leading a diagonal line of exaggerated male faces in period dress across a dark background.

The Comet of 1811, Hand-Colored Caricature Etching

A hand-colored etching shows a starburst comet with a caricatured human face streaming a tail of yellow light across the sheet. Behind it, a row of men in period coats and wigs, their faces exaggerated, trail diagonally toward the upper right on a dark gray ground.

Artist
T. Moon
Date
1811
Medium
Hand-colored etching on paper
Source
Art Institute of Chicago
Size
1686 × 1357 px
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Public domain · Art Institute of Chicago releases this image under CC0 (latest date 1811).
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: CC0 (Art Institute of Chicago, is_public_domain=true)

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): Art Institute of Chicago, Gift of Thomas F. Furness in memory of William McCallin McKee