Moulinet-Elegances of Quadrille Dancing
published April 11, 1817
Medium
Hand-colored etching on paper
Dimensions
Image: 20.5 × 24.5 cm (8 1/8 × 9 11/16 in.); Plate: 21 × 25 cm (8 5/16 × 9 7/8 in.); Sheet: 21.6 × 25.5 cm (8 9/16 × 10 1/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
90144
Art Historical Context
Step into the lively world of Regency-era satire with *Moulinet—Elegances of Quadrille*, a hand-colored etching by Georgeikshank, published April 11, 1817. Cruikshank, a British caricaturist renowned for his sharp social commentary, captures the whirl of a quadrille—a fashionable French import dance that swept London's high society. This intimate print (image size: 20.5 × 24.5 cm) buzzes with exaggerated figures mid-"moulinet," a maneuver, poking fun at the pretentious graces of the elite amid post-Napoleonic exuberance. The hand-coloring elevates this etching from mere line work to a vibrant...
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 ...