The Bustle!!!

ca. 1828

Not on view

In the late 1820s, Heath created memorable satires that responded to exaggerated fashions. Here he shows a young woman whose distinct silhouette relies on a tightly corseted waist and flared skirt hemmed short enough to reveal slipped feet secured with ribbons. Standing before a dressing table, the belle has donned a ruffled bustle and will soon add a gown with huge puffed sleeves prepared by her maid. A large beribboned hat sits ready at left, while the title connects the commotion of dressing with the actual bustle used to support the woman's flared skirt. Like many Heath prints from this period, this is signed with a small top-hatted dandy holding an umbrella–Paul Pry, a nosy character from a play.

Artwork Details

Title: The Bustle!!!
Artist: William Heath ('Paul Pry') (British, Northumbria 1794/95–1840 Hampstead)
Publisher: Thomas McLean (British, 1788–1875)
Date: ca. 1828
Medium: Hand-colored etching
Dimensions: Sheet: 14 1/4 × 9 5/8 in. (36.2 × 24.4 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Gift of Jill Spalding, 2022
Object Number: 2022.309.44
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By William Heath ('Paul Pry')

In the same medium

From the same time and place

A Change in the Petticoats, or the Years 1780 &1817, William Heath ('Paul Pry') British, Hand-colored etching — A Change in the Petticoats, or the Years 1780 &1817
Attributed to William Heath ('Paul Pry')
Publisher Thomas Tegg
1817

On the Wharfe, Bolton Abbey, William Callow British, Watercolor — On the Wharfe, Bolton Abbey
William Callow
September 30, 1858

Nocturne: Palaces, James McNeill Whistler American, Etching and drypoint; printed in dark brown ink on drum mounted medium weight ivory laid paper. — Nocturne: Palaces
James McNeill Whistler
1879–80

The Royal Allied Oak and Self-Created Mushroom Kings, William Heath ('Paul Pry') British, Hand-colored etching — The Royal Allied Oak and Self-Created Mushroom Kings
Multiple artists/makers
May 29, 1815

Stroh Violin, George Evans & Co. English, Mahogany and aluminum, British — Stroh Violin
George Evans & Co.
first quarter 20th century

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