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THOMAS ROWLANDSON. Six Stages of Mending a Face, Dedicated with respect to the Right Hon-ble. Lady Archer

Six Stages of Mending a Face, Dedicated with respect to the Right Hon-ble. Lady Archer. Artist: Thomas Rowlandson (British, London 1757-1827 London). Dimensions: Sheet: 10 13/16 × 15 1/8 in. (27.4 × 38.4 cm). Publisher: Samuel William Fores (British, 1761-1838). Date: May 29, 1792.
Rowlandson mocks the extreme measures that an aging socialite pursues to appear young and beautiful. She is shown unadorned at upper right-bald, toothless, half-blind and with fallen breasts-then progressively "mends" herself by inserting a false eye and teeth, putting on a long curled wig, and transforming her face and arms with cosmetics. Fashionable clothes and jewelry, and rouge applied with a rabbit's foot, complete the illusion, until she is ready to attend a masquerade. Lady Sarah Archer, evoked in the print's dedication, was often mocked by caricaturists for her heavy use of cosmetics. In the eighteenth century make-up was popular among upper class women but also was much criticized. Since face paint and rouge often contain high levels of lead, they could be dangerous, and their users were condemned for sacrificing health to vanity.

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Author: Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827)

Title: Six Stages of Mending a Face, Dedicated with respect to the Right Hon-ble. Lady Archer

Caption: Six Stages of Mending a Face, Dedicated with respect to the Right Hon-ble. Lady Archer. Artist: Thomas Rowlandson (British, London 1757-1827 London). Dimensions: Sheet: 10 13/16 × 15 1/8 in. (27.4 × 38.4 cm). Publisher: Samuel William Fores (British, 1761-1838). Date: May 29, 1792. Rowlandson mocks the extreme measures that an aging socialite pursues to appear young and beautiful. She is shown unadorned at upper right-bald, toothless, half-blind and with fallen breasts-then progressively "mends" herself by inserting a false eye and teeth, putting on a long curled wig, and transforming her face and arms with cosmetics. Fashionable clothes and jewelry, and rouge applied with a rabbit's foot, complete the illusion, until she is ready to attend a masquerade. Lady Sarah Archer, evoked in the print's dedication, was often mocked by caricaturists for her heavy use of cosmetics. In the eighteenth century make-up was popular among upper class women but also was much criticized. Since face paint and rouge often contain high levels of lead, they could be dangerous, and their users were condemned for sacrificing health to vanity.

Technique/material: Hand-colored etching

Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA

Publisher: Samuel William Fores (British, 1761-1838)

Credit: Album

Image size: 3981 × 2847 px | 32.4 MB

Print size: 33.7 × 24.1 cm | 1567.3 × 1120.9 in (300 dpi)

Keywords: DRAWINGS AND PRINTS • ETCHING • EUROPE • HAND-COLORED ETCHING • METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK, USA • PRINTS • SAMUEL WILLIAM FORES (BRITISH, 1761-1838) • THOMAS ROWLANDSON • UNITED KINGDOM