Description:
Hand-colored print titled "A Long Minuet" and "H. Bunbury Esq. Del" for William Henry Bunbury (1750-1811). Henry William Bunbury was an English caricaturist. After completing his studies at Cambridge University, he began to draw caricatures and other comic subjects, the first of which were etched and published in 1771. Bunbury then quickly rose to become one of the greatest satirical artists of the day with his etchings such as the series entitled, "Hints to Bad Horsemen." He also became close friends with the great artist, Thomas Rowlandson, who later engraved many of Bunbury's designs. Bunbury designed this work titled "A Long Minuet as Danced at Bath" as a 7ft.-long strip design in stipple (about 8 1/2in wide), which was originally published by William Dickinson(1746-1823), publisher, printer, and printmaker in Bond Street in 1787. Sections of this long work were also published, examples of which are found in the Bath Central Library Collection including this scene which was published as an alternative single page version. This scene portrays two rows of elegantly-dressed dancing couples of comically diverse physiques attempting to dance and strike graceful poses as demanded by the dance with varying degrees of success. In the top row (4" high), one couple dances holding each others hands, one couple bows to each other, and a single woman stands looking to her left presumably toward the single man who begins the lower row. In the lower row (45/8in high) the single man stands and looks to his right, one couple dances holding one hand, and the last two people are dancing apart.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+79.043 |
