An Exquisite

Art Historical Context

In the Regency era of early 19th-century Britain, George Cruikank, a master caricaturist known for his sharp social satire, collaborated with publisher Thomas Tegg create *An Exquisite* around 1817. This hand-colored etching pokes fun at the "exquisites"—dandies obsessed with fashion and self-admiration—capturing the era's extravagant male styles amid post-Napoleonic social shifts. Trimmed to its plate line (11 5/8 x 8 3/8 in.), the print exemplifies the booming caricature market, where affordable, colorful satires critiqued upper-class vanities. The hand-coloring technique, applied by skilled artisans after printing, adds vivid life to the exaggerated features, mirrors, and finery highlighted in the tags. Cruikshank's bold lines and witty distortions made him a rival to James Gillray, influencing Victorian illustration. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Elisha Whittelsey Collection, this work reveals how prints democratized humor, mocking fops preening before mirrors while reflecting broader cultural obsessions with appearance and masculinity. Today, it offers a delightful glimpse into Regency dandyism, reminding us how fashion has long been fodder for artistic critique.

About the Artist

George Cruikshank|Thomas Tegg · 1792–1878

George Cruikshank (1792–1878) was born in London on 27 September 1792, the son of Scottish caricaturist Isaac Cruikshank and Mary MacNaughton. His older brother, Isaac Robert Cruikshank, was also a caricaturist and illustrator, while his sister Eliza worked as a designer. From a young age, Cruikshank assisted his father in the studio, contributing titles, backgrounds, and lettering to cartoons by ...