Grown Gentlemen Taught to Dance 1803

Henry William Bunbury made this print, "Grown Gentlemen Taught to Dance," around 1802 using etching and hand coloring. The print medium itself is key here. Etching allowed for the relatively quick production of images, making them accessible to a broader audience. Notice how the hand-coloring, likely done by workshop assistants, adds another layer of labor to the process. The print's subject matter – the struggles of the upper class to acquire social graces – gains extra resonance when you consider the broader context of printmaking and its role in disseminating images across society. The artist is not interested in the virtues of the upper class, rather, it is ridiculing their pretensions. By using the print medium, Bunbury cleverly democratizes access to this satirical view. He brings this portrayal of class dynamics to a public that extends beyond the drawing rooms of the elite. This challenges traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.