THE MACARONI PRINT SHOP.
Date1772
Engraver
Edward Topham
1751 - 1820
Publisher
Matthew Darly
ca. 1720 - 1780
Maker
M. Darly
OriginEngland, London
MediumEtching and line engraving on laid paper with period hand color
DimensionsOverall: 9 × 10 7/8in. (22.9 × 27.6cm)
Other (Plate): 7 × 9 7/8in. (7 × 9 7/8in.)
Other (Plate): 7 × 9 7/8in. (7 × 9 7/8in.)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1953-49
DescriptionThe lower margin reads: "THE MACARONI PRINT SHOP./ Pub accor to Act by M. Darly Strand July 14.th 1772"Label TextThe prints that appear in the windows of the Mary and Matthew Darly’s print shop at 39 Strand in London are each based on actual prints the married couple published and sold. Individuals lining up to look at the prints represent the same kinds of humorous figures featured in the prints. Many of the Darly’s prints satirized the manners and fashions of the macaroni. The macaroni is broadly depicted as a fashionable individual who is overly obsessed with trendy clothing, foreign customs, and appearances. Regardless of subject, Darly's prints were known as "macaroni prints."ProvenanceBefore 1953, the Old Print Shop (New York, NY); 1953-present, purchased by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA).
