A Dandy Fainting
published December 11, 1818
Medium
Hand-colored etching on paper
Dimensions
Image: 24.1 × 34.5 cm (9 1/2 × 13 5/8 in.); Plate: 25 × 35.3 cm (9 7/8 × 13 15/16 in.); Sheet: 25.6 × 35.8 cm (10 1/8 × 14 1/8 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
89776
Art Historical Context
Isaac Robert Cruikshank’s “A Dandy Fainting,” published on December 11, 1818, offers a witty glimpse into Regency-era London society. As a hand-colored etching on paper, the print belongs to a vibrant tradition of British caricature that flourished in the early nineteenth century. Cruikshank, like his better-known brother George, specialized in sharp social satire, using the accessible medium of etching to reach a broad audience through print shops and circulating libraries. The scene lampoons the fashionable “dandy,” a type of overly refined gentleman whose pursuit of elegance often bordered...