Les Graces - Inconveniences in Quadrille Dancing
published April 9, 1817
Medium
Hand-colored etching and aquatint on paper
Dimensions
Image: 20.5 × 25.5 cm (8 1/8 × 10 1/16 in.); Plate: 21.3 × 26.5 cm (8 7/16 × 10 7/16 in.); Sheet: 22.2 × 26.8 cm (8 3/4 × 10 9/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
90150
Art Historical Context
George Cruikshank's *Les Graces - Inconveniences in Quadrille Dancing*, published on April 9, 1817, is a delightfully satirical hand-colored etching and aquatint that captures the comedic mishaps of Regency-era ballroom dancing. The title playfully nods to the Three Graces of classical mythology—symbols of beauty and harmony—while poking fun at the awkward realities of quadrille dancing, a fashionable French import that swept British high society in the early 19th century. Cruikshank, a master caricaturist known for his sharp social commentary, likely depicts dancers tangled in petticoats or s...
About the Artist
George Cruikshank · 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 ...