A dandy being laced into a tight corset by two servants. Coloured etching, 1819.

Date:
Jan 26th 1819
Reference:
35511i
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Description

The servant on the left is a young black man, the hairdresser on the right is a caricature Frenchman or Italian. On the back wall is a framed picture of a man greeting a woman: both are wearing extreme fashions, caricatures of "Le Suprême Bon Ton", with the woman as one of "Les invisibles" (her face hidden)

Publication/Creation

London (111 Cheapside) : T. Tegg, Jan 26th 1819.

Physical description

1 print : etching, with watercolour ; image 30 x 21.8 cm

Lettering

Laceing a dandy. . ... The dandy says : "Fore Gad, ye wretches, you'll never get my stays tight enough. Go brutes and call John, James & Thomas to help you. Take care you don't spoil my breasts". The hairdresser-valet says to his assistant "Vi don't you pull, by Gar, if you no pull tight my Lor will have on d_n big John Bull belly"

References note

Not found in: British Museum, Catalogue of personal and political satires (an impression was acquired by the British Museum in 2018)

Reference

Wellcome Collection 35511i

Notes

One of many caricatures of dandies produced by the London publishers Thomas Tegg and S.W. Fores between 1818 and 1824

Exhibitions note

Exhibited in “Fashioning Masculinities” at the V&A, London. 19 March – 6 September 2022
Exhibited in ‘The Cult of Beauty’ at Wellcome Collection, London, 26 October 2023 – 28 April 2024

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