The Dandy and his Postillion–or the Waay to laugh up Hill
A dandy astride a velocipede is pulled uphill by a large dog urged on by a monkey-groom. A less fortunate rider carries his vehicle on his shoulder and mops his brow. Heath devoted a series of satires to velocipedes--foot-propelled bikes popularly known as hobbies--in response to a craze that swept fashionable London in 1819. That year Denis Johnson promoted a British model that he based on an 1817 design developed in Baden by Baron Karl von Drais (called a Laufmachine (running machine) or Draisine). The craze soon subsided as accidents mounted, and high fines were issued to those who rode on sidewalks.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Dandy and his Postillion–or the Waay to laugh up Hill
- Artist: Attributed to William Heath ('Paul Pry') (British, Northumbria 1794/95–1840 Hampstead)
- Publisher: Thomas Tegg (British, London 1776–1846 London)
- Published in: London
- Date: 1819
- Medium: Etching, hand-colored
- Dimensions: Plate: 9 3/4 × 13 3/4 in. (24.7 × 35 cm)
Sheet: 10 1/8 × 16 5/8 in. (25.7 × 42.3 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of Lincoln Kirstein, 1952
- Object Number: 52.546.15
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.