Military Dandies or Heroes of 1818

William Heath

Military Dandies or Heroes of 1818

London, S W Fores Oct 26^th. 1818

Etching

Original hand colouring

260 x 365 mm

Trimmed to borders.

£180

Officers promenade, swaggering selfconsciously; three couples are arm-in-arm. One pair, one of whom is a lancer with a moustache, arrogantly stare at a taller and more dignified Life Guards officer wearing a huge curling plume on the crest of his helmet. All have small high waists with belts or sashes, bulging breasts, high collars, and stocks, narrow and sometimes tiny coat-tails, tight sleeves, high padded shoulders; usually a bush of hair projects from a fantastic shako or helmet. The two Life Guards officers have boots, wide at the top, reaching to the thigh. Two officers wear fantastically large plumed shakos. An officer in back view, (?) the Duke of York, wears the plumed hat of a field-marshal, and is arm-in-arm with a very tall thin officer.