The Lilly Macaroni 1771

Editor: This is Matthew Darly’s “The Lilly Macaroni,” a print from 1771 housed here at the Met. It’s a simple line drawing of a man, but his exaggerated hairstyle and overall flamboyance definitely stand out. What social commentary might Darly be offering here? Curator: Looking at the materials and method of production provides valuable context. Engravings like this were relatively inexpensive and mass-produced, making satire accessible to a wider audience. The "Macaroni" figure was a recognizable stereotype, representing upper-class men who affected continental European fashion, particularly Italian. This print, therefore, becomes a critique of consumption and class performance. Editor: So it’s less about the individual and more about the materials reflecting social anxieties about wealth and status at the time? Curator: Precisely! Darly uses readily available materials and reproducible techniques to disseminate a critical view of a specific type of consumerism and cultural identity. Think about the labor involved: the engraver’s skill, the printing process, and then its distribution. Each step informs how this image functions as a social commentary. Editor: It's fascinating to consider the print as more than just a drawing but a manufactured object carrying a specific cultural charge through its very means of production. Curator: Indeed. This lens moves our focus away from aesthetics and towards the processes that created the piece. We realize that it's a critique embedded in the object's very material being. Editor: I never really considered the cost and method of distribution of art, but I see now that these constraints inform the meaning of the work. Thanks for sharing this different point of view.