Caricature, Monstrosities of 1818 restored, public domain cartoon image

"Monstrosities of 1818", an October 3rd 1818 caricature by George Cruikshank exaggerating the latest style trends in British fashion. For women, this was a trend towards a conical silhouette (as opposed to the narrow clinging skirts of the ca. 1797-1815 period) with strongly contrasting decoration at the lower hem, and large bonnets -- and for men, extremely tall cravats at the neck, narrow tails of the tailcoats, and the wearing of male corsets(?). By an old caricaturists' trick, the women's skirts are shown shorter than they would have been in real life. The men walking fully arm-in-arm was reasonably common and socially acceptable at the time.
Hand-colored etching