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A group of twelve late 18th century satirical prints of women and their wigs

Mary Darly, 1776

Mary Darly, A group of fifteen late eighteenth century satirical prints associated with 'The Macaroni Studio', 1772-77, The Whitworth, Art Funded 2021 [individual artwork titles in separate document, in 'Related Assets' below]
Courtesy of the Whitworth, The University of Manchester.

Mary Darly was a caricaturist and printseller, working together with her husband, Matthew, in 18th-century London.

Today the pair are most celebrated for their series of ‘macaroni’ prints satirising the extravagant dress and mannerisms of fashionable Georgian society.  

The term ‘macaroni’ had been adopted by 18th-century caricaturists to describe men who took their appearance to excess. The Darlys published a number of popular prints with ‘macaroni’ in the title, but this group of 12 prints shows that they made other satirical attacks on fashion outside their most famous series of prints.  

In this group of prints the emphasis is on the absurdity of women’s hair arrangements at a time when the success of a style was judged by its height. In The Preposterous Head Dress (pictured) a hairdresser is shown standing on a stool to complete the styling of a towering wig. La Reine de Siam shows a woman with a wig taller than herself.  

Mary Darly and other women made prints for the Darly brand during a time when female printmakers were rare. This adds to the significance of this group as additions to the Whitworth’s important print collection, in which historic works by women are underrepresented. 

More information

Title of artwork, date

A group of twelve late 18th century satirical prints of women and their wigs, 1776

Date supported

2021

Medium and material

Print

Total cost

13965.6

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