The Miniature Macaroni

Date1772

Publisher M. Darly

Publisher Mary Darly 1760 - 1781

Publisher Matthew Darly ca. 1720 - 1780

OriginEngland, London

MediumEtching and line engraving on laid paper with hand coloring

DimensionsOverall: 8 1/2 × 5 1/2in. (21.6 × 14cm)
Other (Plate): 7 × 4 3/4in. (7 × 4 3/4in.)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1955-62,90

DescriptionUpper line engraving reads: "15"
Lower margin reads: "THE MINIATURE MACARONI/ Pub.d accorg to Act, Sep.r 24, 1772 by MDarly (39) Strand."

In his left hand he holds up a handkerchief in a delicate motion; in his right hand is a cane with a large gold tassel. This figure is about half the size of the rest of the figures in the group. His smallness is suggested by the full length of the sword that he carries. He is dressed in the typical fashion: white breeches, orange coat with gold braid, blue waistcoat, large bow cravat and a hat with bow and a gold medallion on the side. His hair is dressed with a looped club and tiny ribbon.Label TextThe print is plate 15 from volume IV of six volumes of Mary and Matthew Darly's "VOL. IV. of Macaronies, Characters, Caricatures." This caricature it thought to represent the artist Richard Cosway (1742-1821) who became famous for his portrait paintings, particularly his miniatures. He was also a feature of fashionable London society and was known for his womanizing and arrogance. (1) Both he and his wife, Maria Hadfield Cosway (1759-1838) who was also a notable an artist, were the subjects of caricatures for their lavish lifestyles and position in elite social circles. This caricature pokes fun at Cosway's short stature and preference for current fashions (he's dressed as a macaroni-type. The title also alludes to his profession as a miniaturist.

The Darly's were a husband-and-wife team capitalized on the craze for caricatures, the practice of making a likeness with exaggerated mannerisms or features to create a comic effect, a form that was brought back by aristocratic Britons who visited Italy on the Grand Tour. The Darly’s catered to this audience by publishing a prolific assortment of caricature prints during the 1770s. Many of the Darly's satirized the manners and fashions of the macaroni, a term used to describe a sub-culture of fashionably dressed men during the period, and subsequently, regardless of subject, the Darly's prints were known as "macaroni prints."

Their most famous work was their encyclopedic "Caricatures" which included prints of macaroni’s as well as other interesting characters, such as macaronies, all based on their own drawings and those submitted to them by amateur artists lambasting their friends, artists, and other figures in London life. The front page of Volume I describes them as “…a Series of Drol[l] Prints consisting of Heads, Figures, Conversations and Satires upon the follies of the Age…” These prints were published in groups of 24, in six volumes that were published between 1771 and 1773. Colonial Williamsburg owns volumes 1-4.

1) Artist biography, The Tate - https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/richard-cosway-2315ProvenanceBefore 1955, the Old Print Shop (New York, NY); 1955-present, purchased by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA).