Modish and Prudish
December 1, 1791
Medium
Hand-colored etching
Dimensions
Sheet (trimmed and inset): 10 3/8 × 15 1/4 in. (26.3 × 38.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959
Accession Number
59.533.2040
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Modish and Prudish** is a lively hand-colored etching by the renowned British caricaturist Thomas Rowlandson, published by S. W. Fores on December 1, 1791. Measuring 10 3/8 × 15 1/4 inches, this satirical print captures the fashion extremes of late 18th-century London society, contrasting a flamboyantly "modish" woman in extravagant, revealing attire with her "prudish" counterpart draped in severe, modest garb. Rowlandson, a master of humorous social commentary, often poked fun at the absurdities of class, gender, and style during the Georgian era, when rapid changes in women's fashion refle...
About the Artist
Thomas Rowlandson|S. W. Fores · 1756–1827
Thomas Rowlandson (1757–1827) was an English artist and caricaturist whose satirical watercolors and prints captured the social life of Georgian Britain with unparalleled wit and technical mastery. Alongside James Gillray, he is recognized as one of the greatest British graphic artists, and his distinctive flowing line and keen observations have made his work integral to understanding late 18th an...