Verbesserung der Sitten (The Improvement of Morals), 1786

On an open-air stage, a one-legged fiddler and a man with a pointer gesturing to one of thirteen posted prints, all of which show scenes related to moral decay, such as 'theft', 'illness' and 'divorce'; large group of onlookers and a dog stealing pretzels from a basket in the foreground; grotesque madmen in the distance on either side and a man falling down from an exploding hot-air balloon; framed by an ornamental border. 1786 etching. Date: 1786. Dimensions: Height: 210 mm; Width: 334 mm. Medium: paper. Collection: British Museum.