Dandies in Rotten Row

Attributed to William Heath ('Paul Pry') British
Publisher Thomas Tegg British

Not on view

Rotten Row was the nickname for a road established along the southern edge of Hyde Park where fashionable Londoners paraded their carriages or rode on horseback. Men in particular used the site to display riding skills and show off the latest fashions. These dandies wear either spurred boots with riding britches, or ultra-fashionable short, wide-legged trousers. Their restrictive tailcoats have exaggerated narrow waists and wide lapels, but the humor is chiefly directed at their collars. The extended necks of these riders are so stiffly encased that their heads actually tilt backwards. With obscured vision, they are tossed about like ragdolls by their mounts. Subservience to fashion has turned these horsemen into ludicrous examples of folly.

Dandies in Rotten Row, Attributed to William Heath ('Paul Pry') (British, Northumbria 1794/95–1840 Hampstead), Hand-colored etching

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.