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Laceing [sic] a Dandy

Publisher Thomas Tegg British
January 26, 1819
Not on view
Dandies needed help to achieve the silhouette that contemporary fashion demanded around 1820. A wasp waist was created by means of tightly laced stays, while padding produced broad shoulders and thighs. This dandy instructs two servants to pull as hard as they can on his corset strings. The dress and accent of the man at right, as well as the comb stuck in his hair, identify him as a French hairdresser, who jeeringly refers to his master’s "John Bull Belly." British humor at this period stereotyped Frenchmen as thin and underfed while contrasting them with over-nourished Britons. This particular embodiment of British manhood is presented as an exemplar of modern ridiculousness.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Laceing [sic] a Dandy
  • Artist: Anonymous, British, 19th century
  • Publisher: Thomas Tegg (British, London 1776–1846 London)
  • Date: January 26, 1819
  • Medium: Hand-colored etching
  • Dimensions: image: 13 3/16 x 8 3/8 in. (33.5 x 21.3 cm)
    sheet: 14 3/16 x 9 5/16 in. (36 x 23.6 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund and The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1969
  • Object Number: 69.524.35
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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