The Barber's Shop
Medium
Hand-colored etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 8 3/8 × 12 5/8 in. (21.2 × 32 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund and Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, by Exchange, 1970
Accession Number
1970.541.9
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the lively chaos of *The Barber's Shop*, hand-colored etching created after 1803 by British artist Henry William Bunbury—or possibly an anonymous follower in his satirical vein. Measuring a modest 8 3/8 × 12 5/8 inches, this print from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints collection captures the boisterous world of early 19th-century Britain through sharp wit and vibrant hues added by hand after printing. Bunbury, a master of caricature renowned for his humorous depictions of social customs and everyday follies, likely skewers the male-dominated ritual of barbering—a...