print;
satirical print
- Museum number
- J,5.108
- Title
- Object: A Morning Visit -or the Fashionable Dresses for the Year 1777.
- Description
-
A lady advances into a breakfast parlour wearing an enormous calash or hood drawn over her pyramid of hair, on which is a cap of muslin and lace. She wears a short cloak over her dress, and carries a cylindrical reticule ornamented with bows in her left hand. She holds out her hand towards her hostess (left), who runs forward to meet her holding out both hands. Behind and between them is a young man seated on a settee, holding a gun and wearing a three-cornered hat and top-boots; he looks at the visitor's head-dress. Behind (right), a maid-servant carrying a round tray with tea-things follows the visitor into the room. The hostess wears a hat tilted forwards over her high-dressed hair, showing clusters of large curls. At the back of the hat is a large bunch of feathers. She stands between a small rectangular table, on her right, and the fireplace, where a kettle is boiling. The room is panelled; a candle-sconce and mirror hangs on the wall. 1 January 1778
Mezzotint
- Production date
- 1778
- Dimensions
-
Height: 354 millimetres
-
Width: 251 millimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- (Description and comment from M.Dorothy George, 'Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum', V, 1935)
For the calash hood see BMSat5434, &c.
Reproduced, M. C. Salaman, 'The Old Engravers of England', 1906, p. 174, with the title, 'The Spruce Sportsman: or Beauty the best shot' (1780).
(Supplementary information)
The impression reproduced in Salaman is from another state, with the title and number altered. It is probably the second state: Christopher Lennox-Boyd notes that the quality of impression is similar to one of 'Bob Blunt in Amazement', where the title has been altered from 'The Fashionable Dresses for the Year 1766', though in that case the number remains the same. The two prints are clearly by the same hand.
Sale catalogue listings
Carington Bowles, 1784, p. 115 no. 394, 1s. plain, 2s. coloured; 1790, p. 105 no. 409, same price.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1818
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- J,5.108
