The Macaroni Print Shop 14 - 1772
edwardtopham1
minneapolisinstituteofart
hand-colored-etching, print, etching
hand-colored-etching
water colours
etching
caricature
england
genre-painting
history-painting
"The Macaroni Print Shop" (1772) by Edward Topham is a satirical print that captures the fashion trends of the time. The image depicts a group of men, known as "macaronis," admiring the latest fashions displayed in a print shop window. This piece, part of a series, offers a glimpse into 18th century social commentary and fashion in England, highlighting the extravagant and sometimes ridiculous trends of the era.
Comments
Ghezzi's usual method was to portray subjects in profile, distorting their features to comical effect. The English publisher Matthew Darly loosely adapted this format, but unlike Ghezzi, generally satirized types rather than specific people. The humor of Darly's prints depended on the discovery of equivalences across social groups rather than on individual likenesses. In this instance the "macaronis" share large noses, sharp chins, and silly grins as they inspect caricatures in a shop window. The shop is Darly's own establishment at 39 Strand, known as the "Macaroni Print Shop" because of his success in satirizing the habitually mocked group known as macaronis.
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