The Bustle!!!
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View on museum website →Medium
Hand-colored etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 14 1/4 × 9 5/8 in. (36.2 × 24.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Jill Spalding, 2022
Accession Number
2022.309.44
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the whimsical world of Regency-era satire with *The Bustle!!!*, a hand-colored etching created around 1828 by British caricaturist William Heath, who signed his cheeky works as 'Paul Pry'—a nod to the nosy character from a popular contemporary play. Published by Thomas McLean, key figure in London's print trade, this lively print measures14¼ × 9⅝ inches captures the absurdity of women's fashion with exaggerated flair. Hand-colored etchings like this were a staple of early 19th-century satire, allowing affordable, vibrant commentary on society. Here, Heath skewers the emerging trend ...
About the Artist
Thomas McLean|William Heath ('Paul Pry') (British|British) · 1800 |1788 –1828 |1875
British, Isleworth ca. 1800–1828 London|British, 1788–1875