Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Vanished Fashions (Witnessed by Printmakers)

Matthew Darly
Tight-Lacing, or, Hold Fast Behind
1777
hand-colored etching and engraving
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Thomas Rowlandson
Beauties 
1792
hand-colored etching
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Thomas Rowlandson
Courtship in High Life
(George, Prince of Wales and Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire)
1785
hand-colored etching and aquatint
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Thomas Rowlandson
Maids and Mistresses
1791
hand-colored etching
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

George Cruikshank
An Evening Party
1826
hand-colored etching and engraving
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

The Roundel

A roundel is wrought as a ring or a starbright sphere,
        With craft of delight and with cunning of sound unsought,
That the heart of the hearer may smile if to pleasure his ear
        A roundel is wrought.

Its jewel of music is carven of all or of aught –
        Love, laughter, or mourning – remembrance of rapture or fear –
That fancy may fashion to hang in the ear of thought.

As a bird's quick song runs round, and the hearts in us hear
        Pause answer to pause, and again the same strain caught,
So moves the device whence, round as a pearl or tear,
        A roundel is wrought.

– Algernon Charles Swinburne (1883)

Anonymous printmaker
Miss Angelina Melius the celebrated giantess
attended by her page Señor Don Santiago de los Santos
ca. 1820
hand-colored etching
British Museum

Anonymous printmaker
Miss Julia Smith as Madge
ca. 1835
hand-colored lithograph
British Museum

William Heath ('Paul Pry')
Hat Boxes (Opera Reminiscences)
1829
hand-colored etching
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

William Heath ('Paul Pry')
Monstrosity of 1829 ('Lo, this is their very guise')
1829
hand-colored etching
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

William Heath ('Paul Pry')
 Much Ado about Nothing
1828
hand-colored etching
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

William Heath ('Paul Pry')
"We have the exhibition to examine (ah, if one could but see)"
ca. 1830-40
hand-colored etching
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

from The Quangle Wangle's Hat

On top of the Crumpetty Tree
        The Quangle Wangle sat,
But his face you could not see,
        On account of his Beaver Hat.
For his Hat was a hundred and two feet wide,
With ribbons and bibbons on every side
And bells, and buttons, and loops, and lace,
So that nobody ever could see the face
        Of the Quangle Wangle Quee.

– Edward Lear (1877)

Johann Nepomuk Rauch after Marcus Dinkel
Portrait of Elisabeth Grossmann
ca. 1829-47
hand-colored etching and aquatint
British Museum

Johann Gottfried Schadow
Woman Dancing
ca. 1820-30
hand-colored etching
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Sydney Vacher
In a French picture gallery before the War
ca. 1921
etching
British Museum

John Sloan
A Thirst for Art
1939
etching
British Museum