ticketsMember | Make a donation

Well-a-day, Is this my Son Tom

Probably after Samuel Hieronymus Grimm Swiss
Publisher Carington Bowles I British
ca. 1773
Not on view
The extremes of "macaroni" male fashion are mocked in this image which shows a fashionably dressed young man encountering his father during a visit home to the country. The older man, wearing the loose old-fashioned suit of a prosperous farmer, greets Tom with consternation. After living in London, the youth has adopted the dress favored by British dandies of the 1770s: tight breeches tied at the knee with ribbands, two watches seals falling below his waistcoat, a long tasseled walking stick and an enormous toupee wig adorned with side curls and a huge "club" hanging down the back. The ridiculous size of the headpiece is accentuated with a tiny cocked hat.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Well-a-day, Is this my Son Tom
  • Artist: Probably after Samuel Hieronymus Grimm (Swiss, Bern 1733–1794 London (active Britain from 1768))
  • Publisher: Carington Bowles I (British, 1724–1793)
  • Published in: London
  • Date: ca. 1773
  • Medium: Etching and engraving
  • Dimensions: sheet: 19 1/4 x 14 3/16 in. (48.9 x 36 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1960
  • Object Number: 60.576.9
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
View of a Village alongside a River, Samuel Hieronymus Grimm Swiss, Pen and dark gray ink, brush and gray wash, watercolor
View of a Village alongside a River
Samuel Hieronymus Grimm
1766
An Easy Introduction to Dancing: or, the Movements in the Minuet full explained., George Bickham, Jr. British, Illustrations: etching
An Easy Introduction to Dancing: or, the Movements in the Minuet full explained.
George Bickham, Jr.
Thomas Cooper
1738
General Washington, Valentine Green British, Mezzotint; first state of two
General Washington
Multiple artists/makers
January 15, 1781
Scrapbook of Drawings and Prints, Gideon Saint British, Pen and ink, engraving and etching
Scrapbook of Drawings and Prints
Gideon Saint
ca. 1760
Imaginary View of Venice, houses at left with figures on terraces, a domed church at center in the background, boats and boat-sheds below, and a seated man observing from a wall at right in the foreground, from "Views" (Vedute altre prese da i luoghi altre ideate da Antonio Canal), Canaletto (Giovanni Antonio Canal) Italian, Etching; undivided plate, only state
Imaginary View of Venice, houses at left with figures on terraces, a domed church at center in the background, boats and boat-sheds below, and a seated man observing from a wall at right in the foreground, from "Views" (Vedute altre prese da i luoghi altre ideate da Antonio Canal)
Canaletto (Giovanni Antonio Canal)
Joseph Smith
1741

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.